China pledges to improve copyright law

China has pledged to improve its copyright governance and protection by the rule of law in this information age, so as to promote high-quality development of the industry, officials and experts said.

The representatives from copyright administrations, internet enterprises, China Writers Association and colleges, made the remark and exchanged ideas at the Eighth National Conference on Copyright Protection and Development in Digital Environment, which was held in Guizhou province on Thursday.

While vowing to further optimize the management and regulatory mechanism of copyright, the conference attendees also highlighted the importance of increasing international cooperation to open a new chapter of the copyright industry and advance the development of new quality productive forces.

In addition, the fight against piracy and copyright protection must be continuously strengthened, with stronger technological applications in the digital music field and more efforts to develop mini or micro-short dramas.

At the conference, the National Copyright Administration also disclosed 10 influential cases against piracy in 2023, including the infringements of artworks, books, online games, music and software.

One case in Suqian, Jiangsu province, showed that a defendant surnamed Zhang was sentenced to five years and six months in prison, along with a fine of 4.4 million yuan ($607,358), for copyright infringement and selling pirate products.

A local court found that Zhang had illegally copied and sold more than 3.5 million books without authors' permission since June 2020, with illicit gains worth 18.28 million yuan.

Two other defendants — one surnamed Gao and the other surnamed Zhou — were also given prison terms, as they, knowing that Zhang's books were pirated, still bought them and helped him sell them for profits, the court said, adding that the two's illicit gains were over 25 million yuan.

The administration lauded the handling of the case, saying "the illegal copying and distribution of pirated children's books and famous writers' works have continued to occur, which has seriously damaged the legitimate rights and interests of the copyright holders and endangered the physical and mental health of juveniles".

It noted that the case handling has shown the strict law enforcement and judicial determination against piracy, adding that the result would be conducive to maintaining the order of the publication market and protecting children.