Beijing Hosts First International Copyright Expo
"Exchange, Cooperation, Innovation and Development" was the theme for the First China International Copyright Expo, held in Beijing from October 27 to 29. More than 300 government officials, business representatives and IPR experts from China and abroad attended the opening ceremony for the Expo.
The 2008 International Copyright Forum organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC) was held under the umbrella of the Expo. An exhibition on copyright technologies and a range of IPR-themed activities were also held as part of the event.
Senior government officials from more than 20 countries attended the international copyright forum organized by the NCA and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) during the Expo. They included Marybeth Peters, director of the US Copyright Office, and Cu Binjiu, director of Copyright Administration of South Korea. Delegates from more than 10 international copyright organizations, including the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), Business Software Alliance (BSA) and International Federation of Phonogram and Videogram Producers (FPI) joined them.
The delegates discussed different aspects of copyright protection in three forums based around three separate themes: "Copyright Protection and Software Development", "The Economic Value of Copyright" and "Copyright Protection and New Media, Copyright Protection and Culture Development".
At the opening ceremony, NCAC director Liu Binjie pledged that China will take further action to promote copyright protection, including strengthening the existing legislation, taking tougher measures against piracy and working harder to enforce copyright laws. He added that China will work to create a better policy and market environment for the copyright industry.
WIPO official Michael Keplinger said his organization will cooperate with China on a range of issues. WIPO also honored six Chinese people with special awards to recognize their contribution to copyright protection in China, including Hong Kong movie star Jackie Chan, National Swimming Center ("Watercube") architect Zhao Xiaojun and Kingsoft CEO Qiu Bojun. Six enterprises also received awards, including leading online game operator Shanda, animation studio Sunchime Cartoon Group and digital products manufacturer Aigo.
The Expo is the first event of its kind in China, although Beijing has hosted the International Copyright Forum for the past two years. It aims to display the latest in copyright protection research in China and overseas, and act as a platform to promote copyright protection in China. The NCAC, Beijing Municipal Government and Beijing Municipal Copyright Administration hosted the event.
Whether the forum will result in any concrete action remains to be seen but China has certainly been under increasing pressure to clean up the rampant piracy that plagues its media industry for several years. While critics may (quite rightly) say that progress has been slow and enforcement has been patchy at best, there have been signs of growing awareness.
Copyright owners have increasingly started to take the fight online, as more and more people have started downloading pirated films and TV programs. High profile international and local film studios have filed suits against movie-sharing platforms and Internet bar operators, including Huayi Brothers' most recent case against 17 Internet bar operators (see story under Policy and Regulation).
Indeed, the number of lawsuits filed against online copyright violations have grown by more than 20 times since 2005, according to recent figures from the Beijing No.1 Intermediate People's Court (see story under Policy and Regulation). Unfortunately, the court did not disclose how many of the cases were actually won by the plaintiff.
Online video sites are already one of the most popular Internet applications in China. Their popularity (and ad revenues) are only expected to keep growing in 2009, according to experts such as our feature interviewee, Cao Junbo of iResearch. These sites already host a wealth of bootleg material, from mainland cinema blockbusters such as Painted Skin to content as seemingly obscure as Flight of the Conchords, an English-language HBO comedy series about a New Zealand band in New York.