Chinese public urges better IPR protection

BEIJING - A total of 86 percent of respondents to a recent online survey said they hope the government steps up copyright protection, according to Thursday's edition of the newspaper China Youth Daily.

However, 92.7 percent of the 17,576 respondents admitted they had bought or used pirated goods themselves.

Respondents said the legal system, government enforcement of copyright laws, price and public awareness all affect the level of copyright protection in China.

Respondents also noted the relationship between copyright protection and creating cultural products.

A total of 65.9 percent of respondents said poor copyright protection may undermine authors' enthusiasm to innovate, while 64.2 percent said it could impair the country's cultural innovation.

A report published by the Ministry of Culture in March said the online music market -- an industry ripe for copyright violation -- was about 2.8 billion yuan ($442 million) in 2011, including Internet and wireless services.

Copyright infringement, including online piracy, is still a serious problem in China, despite improvements in the legal system, said Qu Sanqiang, a professor at Peking University Law School.

In order to strengthen the country's copyright system, a draft amendment to the current copyright law is under consideration. The National Copyright Administration is now seeking public feedback on the proposed amendment, which was published on its website on March 31. However, the draft has stirred anger among many domestic composers and songwriters, who believe some provisions would diminish their professional rights.

Yan Xiaohong, a Chinese copyright official, said last month that authorities will conduct careful research into the draft amendment to find a solution that can best balance various rights and claims.

More than 56 percent of those responding to the current survey said they are paying attention to the ongoing amendment of the country's copyright law.