Ministry of Culture recently issues the Circular on the Construction Work of the National Service System of Karaoke Content Management (hereafter referred to as the Circular), requiring using the technologies and format standards with Chinese independent IPRs in the work of constructing the service system of karaoke content management (hereafter referred to as the system) to raise China’s IPR protection level in karaoke entertainment places and improve China’s cultural competitiveness.

The Circular points out that in recent years, the contradiction among recording industry, copyright holders and karaoke operators in terms of copyright utilization becomes increasingly prominent with frequent lawsuits emerging, exerting great influences to China’s IPR protection and the healthy development of karaoke industry. The construction of the system can help cultural administration departments of various levels strengthen supervision upon the entertainment contents in karaoke places, protect China’s cultural security, maintain the country’s cultural sovereignty and improve the governmental administration level; the work can also help promote technical reconstruction of informationization in karaoke places to supply high-quality services of cultural entertainment to consumers; meanwhile, it is also conducive to promote China’s IPR protection level in karaoke places and promote the prosperity and development of the folk music originated in China.

The Circular clearly requires that the technologies such as program input, transmission and encryption and format standards with China’s independent IPRs should be used during the work of constructing the national service system of karaoke content management, creating conditions for original folk music to enter the service system, encouraging creation and emission of China-originated folk music and improving China’s cultural competitiveness.

The national service system of karaoke content management is a systematic project launched by cultural administration departments to perform their market supervision function and supply public services with modernized information technologies, as well as an important measure to promote informationization of culture market. It is listed in the 11th Five-Year Plan of Cultural Construction of Ministry of Culture and the 2008-2010 Implementation Plan of the National Sunshine Project in Entertainment Places.