Internet a ‘big killer’ of copyright security

More than 60 percent of intellectual property cases heard in Beijing’s courts last year were copyright-related and relevant infringements mainly happened through the Internet， according to China Daily report.

The city’s courts heard 9，653 intellectual property cases last year， 6，105 of which were related to copyright infringements， Jiang Ying， judge of the Beijing No.1 Intermediate People’s Court， told China Daily.

Intellectual property rights are composed of copyright， patent and trademark， “but disputes about the latter two have not been very common in China up to now， since they are too professional and need a more developed commercial environment”， she said.

About 80 percent of those copyright cases were related to the Internet， Jiang said.

The Internet has become the biggest “killer” to copyright protection， said Bei Zhicheng， an executive of the Writers’Rights Protection Union， an organization established in July to safeguard Chinese writers’ copyrights online.

“The infringement cost online is smaller than traditional ways. The download speed of illegal e-books is fast and the amounts are big， which has damaged writers’ interests，” Bei said.

What’s worse， the expense of keeping the copyright is much higher than the settlements that victims receive， according to current regulations. “While the case also costs residents more time and energy，” he said.

Comment

More awareness of copyright laws is important for the general public， in addition to innovators and relevant companies.