China to implement first administrative regulations on Internet copyright protections

China's National Copyright Administration (NCA) and the Ministry of Information Industry (MII) have announced in Beijing the implementation of the "Administrative Measures on Internet Copyright Protection", the first of its kind in the country, by May 30.

"China's present copyright laws haven't defined the responsibilities clearly to the Internet Service Providers (ISP) in copyright piracies, that's why we introduce the new regulations, " said Li Guobin, the official with the MII on Sunday.

The measure, published on April 30, clarifies that websites providing pirated information should bear major responsibilities, and that ISPs who passively spread the information will be exempt from punishment.

According to the new measure, authors who find their copyrights pirated by the websites can inform the ISP in written form with concerning proofs. ISP will take quick reactions to the report after verification.

The State Council has already launched the draft work of " Policies of Protecting Internet Information Spreading Rights," which has stronger legal effect, Yan Xiaohong, deputy director of NCA said.

Statistics from MII shows that by the end of 2004, China had more than 600,000 websites. Of these, only 8,000 are legally registered, contributing to the country's increasingly serious Internet piracy.

"If the government won't take measures to fend off Internet piracies, its efforts to fight piracy in tangible markets will fail. More dealers of pirated goods will switch to the Internet because of its lax controls," said Zheng Chengsi, director of the IPR Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Source: Xinhua