Chinese writings placed under UK copyright protection

An agreement between Chinese and British copyright agencies was signed in Beijing on Tuesday, which places Chinese written works under the umbrella against copyright infringement in Britain.

As the latest step of the Sino-UK cooperation on copyright regulation and operation, the agreement was signed between the UK Copyright Licensing Agency and the China Written Works Copyright Society at the 6th UK-China Intellectual Property Salon on Tuesday evening.

The agreement will for the first time place Chinese written works in the British market, including books, articles in newspapers and magazines and academic papers, under the protection of the CLA, a nonprofit organization which has authorized more than 39,000 organizations and publications to copy and use copyright works while obtaining fair rewards for rights holders.

From now on, any copy or use of physical or digital forms of Chinese written works in the UK will be under the scrutiny of CLA, which will charge fees to users and remit them to the Chinese authors and publishers.

Yan Xiaohong, deputy chief of the Chinese National Copyright Administration, said the agreement marks a milestone in copyright protection for Chinese works in overseas markets.

"It will encourage more Chinese writers and publishers to produce more high-quality copyright works appealing to foreigners, and guarantee their economic benefits," Yan said.

"Also, it will serve as a trailblazer for more agreements of its kind to be signed with copyright collective management agencies in other countries and regions of the world. Eventually, this kind of cooperation will boost Chinese cultural exports." The CWWCS is the only valid organization approved by the National Copyright Administration to collectively manage and operate copyright in China.

Kevin Fitzgerald, Chief Executive of the CLA, is confident the British agency will provide a safe and fair environment for the influence of Chinese written works to grow in UK.

"It’s significant for the Chinese publishing industry’s global development. We are happy to be part of the collaboration, which will protect copyright holders’ economic benefits from being harmed by piracy and infringement," Fitzgerald said. Richard Mollet, chair of the UK Publisher’s Association and the UK Alliance for Intellectual Property, and UK Minister for Intellectual Property Baroness Lucy Neville-Rolfe also attended the signing ceremony.