Discs confiscated

China recently destroyed more than 37 million counterfeit audio and video discs that were confiscated in the latter half of this year, according to the Ministry of Culture (MOC).

The illegal products were confiscated nationwide, with nearly 7.5 million from Guangdong, and more than 1 million from 10 provinces including Shandong, Hubei, Henan and Jiangxi, according to the ministry.

The nation has launched an extensive campaign for the sixth consecutive year. To eliminate the counterfeit audio and video discs, China has set up a special department to supervise shops that sell audio and video discs and raided underground factories and warehouses that produce and store the discs.

In the first nine months of the year, more than 740,000 shops engaged in the sale and production of audio and video discs and 1.45 million Internet bars were visited by government inspectors. More than 14,000 were ordered to rectify business practices, and 3,189 companies and enterprises were ordered to close.

NGO copyright alliance

The China Enterprise Copyright Alliance was set up in Beijing to accelerate and enhance the country's copyright-related industries.

The organization is a non-governmental entity that is part of the intellectual economy and related to international trade.

Its members are from news and publishing, software, online games, animation, integrated circuit design, movie and TV music sectors.

According to an official with the National Copyright Administration, the government will continue to upgrade copyright law and increase public awareness of copyright protection. The government will also strengthen the roles played by non-governmental agencies and industrial organizations.

Internet reprint protection

A revised judiciary rule from the Supreme People's Court, which came into effect recently, has banned reprinting Internet material without obtaining preliminary approval from the copyright holder.

Under the previous judiciary rule implemented in 2003, websites that copied and re-posted Internet material did not infringe on intellectual property right (IPR) laws so long as they identified the source of the material and paid IPR fees afterwards.

Analysts say that the revision is in line with international norms in the field. It is also compatible with a new Internet information communication regulation issued by the State Council and implemented this past July.

Now, anyone uploading text, sound and video recordings to the Internet for downloading, copying or other use must acquire the permission of the copyright owner and pay the required fee.

The new regulation also sets a fine of up to 100,000 yuan (US$12,500) with confiscation of computer equipment for those in violation.

EVD promotion

China's major audio-video publishers and distributors have formed a joint venture to facilitate EVD (Enhanced Versatile Disc) circulation, according to Zhang Baoquan, secretary-general of the EVD Industry Alliance.

The new company, which involves Zoke Culture and the Antaeus Group, aims to promote the home-grown EVD standard and fight widespread copyright piracy.

The EVD formatted publishing rights, originally exclusively owned by the Antaeus Group, will be shared among the six firms that account for 80 per cent of the audio-video market in China, Zhang said.

Nearly 20 leading Chinese manufactures recently made the joint announcement that they would stop making DVD players starting in 2008, replacing them with the next-generation EVD players.

Retailer giant Gome will open 150 special areas in its outlets around the country to sell EVD players, Zhang says.

Fake Fuwas

Beijing police have arrested a man selling counterfeit Beijing Olympic Games mascots and commemorative coins.

According to the legal affairs department of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG), a man surnamed Fu was found selling the fake goods at a market in the city's Haidian District.

"The five Fuwas, the mascots of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, were wrongly sequenced and they had no label or authentication certificate. The colours of the counterfeited commodities did not match those of the authentic products," a department statement said.

Police also found some coins with the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games logo which were not manufactured by the China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation, the sole manufacturer allowed to produce commemorative coins for the games.

Cultural and Creativity Expo

The First Beijing International Cultural and Creative Industry Expo was held in Beijing last week.

At the expo, culture- and innovation-oriented companies, such as Hanwang Technology, showcased their latest products and technologies that can be applied to movie, music, cartoon and product design.

The exhibition was co-organized by the Ministry of Culture, State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, State Press and Publication Administration and Beijing Municipal Government.

Innovative washing machines

At the CCTV Innovation Festival held last week, Little Swan Spraying Water Magic Cube Washer was awarded the top prize for Best Annual Patent Innovation. Another product, Little Swan Spraying Digital Water Magic Cube Washer had already won the China Industrial Design Gold Award. Both washing machines are designed and produced by Jiangsu Little Swan Group Co Ltd.

State Intellectual Property Office and China Central Television Station (CCTV) co-organized the CCTV Innovation Festival to encourage patent innovation and design in industrial areas ranging from digital products, mobile phones, computers and household appliances.

(China Daily 12/18/2006 page9)

2013-07-17