Copyright Changes Announced In China

[GhostShip]

It seems things are on the move in China in the copyrights arena.

http://www.out-law.com//default.aspx?page=1299

China is drafting its first internet-specific laws to protect copyright on-line for the benefit of copyright owners both in China and abroad. It follows concerns of confusion expressed last month when China’s Supreme People’s Court ruled to extend existing copyright laws to the internet.
Under the new proposal, fines will be substantially increased from the limits set out in the country’s existing 10 year-old copyright provisions.

Anyone who cancels or alters an author’s works without permission shall be guilty of an offence. It will also be an offence to break encryption set by copyright owners. In addition, the property rights attributed to the copyright owner will be strengthened

This looks like legislation designed to bring China in line with other countries copyright laws that already include the internet as a place where copyright has to be observed, this is likely to be used against many Chinese warez sites that have so far operated with impuity as the law didnt cover that area.

[SamSeeSam]

Heh, piracy losses due to sale to pirated cd's and dvd's far exceed the losses due to internet....
How far it will be enforced will speak for the effectivenes.
Plus they have a lot lot more than piracy in their minds to keep them busy for a long time to come.

Cheers