On the afternoon of December 29, the 25th meeting of the NPC Standing Committee closed at the Great Hall of the People after completion of the whole agenda. The meeting passed two decisions on China's participation of the WIPO Copyright Convention and WIPO Show and Recorded Product Convention, marking that China officially participated the two conventions. That means China is working hard to upgrade the protection of internet copyright. NPC Chairman Wu Bangguo chaired the closing ceremony.    　

 

Mr. Long Xinmin, Director of the National Copyright Administration expressed that China's participation into the two conventions would help strengthen its cooperation with the international community in the protection of intellectual property, draw on from world successful experience in the protection of internet copyright, and improve China's legal system on copyright. It also helps to raise the level of protection of internet copyright and boost fast development of China's internet trade. It further conduces to the indication of China's active participating approach towards the development of a new international order for the protection of internet copyright.　WIPO passed the two conventions in December 1996. The WIPO Copyright Convention took effect as of March 6, 2002, and the WIPO Show and Recorded Product Convention as of May 20 the same year. By the end of May 30, 2006 altogether 59 countries approved to join the WIPO Copyright Convention and 58 countries the WIPO Show and Recorded Product Convention, respectively.

 

WIPO Copyright Convention comprises the preface and the 25-article text, which aims to more adequately protect the benefits of patentees in the area of information and communication technologies, especially in the internet field. The WIPO Show and Recorded Product Convention consists of its preface and 33-article text, which aims to better protect the rights of showers and recorded products in the internet area.

 

Director Long Xinmin expressed that, by the end of December 31, 2005 the numbers of both internet users and computers online in China ranked second in the world. Under the condition of rapid development of internet trade, how to protect the legitimate rights and interests of copyright owners, promote legal dissemination of products of literature, art and science has become a conspicuous problem in China's protection of copyright. Behaviors of internet tort have not only affected the orderly and healthy development of our internet industry, but also posed heavy pressure on the growth of conventional publishing, video recording, film and TV and software trades.

 

At the time of approving China's participation of the above two conventions the NPC Standing Committee stated: before notified otherwise by the People's Government of the P. R. of China, they are for the time not applicable to the HKSAR and the MCSAR of the P. R. of China

 

The meeting approved the decision of the NPC Standing Committee on the convening of the 5th Plenary Session of the Tenth National People's Congress. According to this decision, the 5th Plenary Session of the Tenth National People's Congress is scheduled to be open on March 5, 2007.

2007-01-09

2007-01-09