Category Archives: Protection

Legal Analysis on Apple’s Lose in APP Store Infringing Contents of Beijing Litigation

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By Luo Yanjie

Recently, a reporter of TechWeb interviewed You Yunting of our website about issues of Apple providing infringing content as follows:

1, Lots of China writers have sued Apple Inc because its App Store violated their copyright; Encyclopedia of China Publishing House (EPCH) win the case and get 520,000 as compensation. How do you see this kind of cases? Can it become the flag case of mobile Internet copyright?

Personally think it is more suitable to say that it is a flag case for APP Store of Apple, the main significance is as follows:

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When Could “Fair Use” Other’s Works in China?

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By Albert Chen

Techdirt recently reported the US court has adopted scanning within the scope of fair use, and by China Copyright Law, the library could also make a special copy or digitalize its collection, as well as the communication. Today, we would introduce the statutory license in Chinese legislature.

As known to us, the using of others work demands the right owner’s consent and the payment of the royalty (unless no payment as approved by the right owner). But as aiming to promote the cultural development, the emphasis on the exclusive right protection could only damage the spread-out of the culture and information. Thus, in addition to the protection, we also see Copyright Law regulates the “fair use” of the works, under which the using by a third party shall not be approved by the right owner or to pay the royalty.

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Why China Is Not Among Top 20 Countries of Pirated Music Download?

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By You Yunting

Musicmetric, a website in USA, published the top 20 countries of pirated music download, yet to most ones’ astonishment, China is not found on the tally, who is commonly accused of granting least protection on IPR. Then what contributes to the surprising result? In today’s post, you could find our answer to it.

I. Most online music services are using the copyrighted ones

Unlike chargeable music download in iTunes or through P2P in USA, most users in China tend to get their free music by search engine, or download or listen to them by music software. The most popular music service now in China is from Baidu (NASDAQ: BIDU) and Tencent (SEHK: 700), whose music library is mostly licensed by the main recorders around the world.

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Analysis on Application of Red Flag Rule in China

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By Luo Yanjie

Recently, Shanghai No.2 Intermediate People’s Court issued “Investigation Report about Infringement of Right of Information Network Dissemination in the Area” which introduces the application of “red flag” principle in China. Today we would like to share the topic with readers as follows:

I. The basic concept of “red flag” principle

“Red flag” principle is an exception of “safe harbor” principle. It means if the fact of infringement obviously like a “red flag” flying, network service providers cannot pretend not to see, or to shirk responsibility as not knowing. In this premise, even if the right people have issued a notice, the court should also identify the Internet service provider is aware of third party’s infringement and shall bear tort liability.

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Encyclopedia vs Apple: Why AppStore Could Not Ship into Safe Harbor?

By You Yunting

As reported by media, Beijing No.2 Intermediate People’s Court made the first instance decision for infringement claims made by Encyclopedia of China Publishing House (Encyclopedia) agains Apple’s AppStore. With the decision, Apple shall compensate Encyclopedia RMB 520, 000 yuan and immediately cease the infringement. In current, no intention to appeal has been expressed by Apple.

Case: Encyclopedia discovered Apple’s user could purchase and download apps of its copyrighted works, which could be read in iPhone and iPad. With the anger of the infringement, Encyclopedia filed a lawsuit against Apple, who counter-stroke that the actuall operator of AppStore is a company registered in Luxembourg, not Apple. And Apple provided no services in the process of software uploading, and therefore Apple shall be with no engagement in the dispute.

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Han Han Vs Baidu: Safe Harbor Principle in China

By Albert Chen

Han Han, Baidu, Baidu Wenku, apology, Safe Harbor Principle, information storage space, ISP, Internet Service Provider, prior examination, delete infringing contents, delete classification, quick channel, DNA comparison technology, prevent and stop the infringement, Baidu claim, more rigorous due diligence duty, bona fide and no misfeasance,

By news reports, Beijing Haidian People’s Court judged the copyright infringements filed by Han Han and other Chinese writers against Baidu (NASDAQ: BIDU) Wenku, an online document sharing port, in recent. Among all the 14 lawsuits, 7 are supported the claims of compensation as $ 400 for each work involved, yet refuse the claims of shut-down the port and apology. As to the rest 7 lawsuits, Baidu gain an overwhelming victory.

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Difference Between Crime of Copyright Infringement and Selling Infringing Work Copies

By Luo Yanjie

In recent, a man was judged the crime of copyright infringement (note: the link is in Chinese) by Ningbo Beilun People’s Court for his selling the pirated discs. Yet, to our understanding, the crime of selling infringing work copies provided in Article 218 of Criminal Law shall be more suitable, while as seen in this case, the criminal liability was established on the crime of copyright infringement which is in Article 217 of Criminal Law. The following is our analysis:

I. the difference between the crime of copyright infringement and selling infringing work copies

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How to Legally Use Mickey Mouse Brand and FIgure in China?

By You Yunting

About one month before, the IPR Committee of Shanghai Bar Association invited the police officer from the Economic Investigating Squadron of Shanghai Police Department to deliver a speech on the criminal protection over IPR issues. And in the communication after the seminar, the police officer raised a question to the acceded lawyers, “The Shanghai Disney Land will be constructed several years later, and it’s foreseeable that there could be stores selling Mickey Mouse or other figures articles with no license thereby granted around the park. Yet, by then, the copyright protection term on Mickey could be expired, and so what measures could be taken to strike the unlicensed using or selling?”

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Fair Use for Getty’s Picture of Statute?

By Luo Yanjie

    Getty Images (NYSE: GTY) (the “company”or “Getty”) is a company globally known for its picture license business for third party’s use. In general, the company shall appear in the court as the plaintiff, yet as reported in recent (note: the link is in Chinese), Getty was charged in Beijing Haidian People’s Court. The story is: Getty was found by a Chinese statute designer of unlicensed collection of his works into the company’s data base, which was on sale to the public; therefore, he filed a lawsuit against Getty, demanding a compensation. After the hearing, Getty was judged non-fair use in the case, and shall compensate the plaintiff RMB 5, 000 and an apology.

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Does BesTV Infringe CNTV for Broadcasting Olympic Games?

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By You Yunting

In recent, CNTV, the subsidiary of China national television station (the “CCTV”), which in charge of its online business, quarreled with SMG’s BesTV (SHEX:600637) on the Olympics broadcasting. By the statement of CNTV, it owns the exclusive online broadcasting right of 2012 London Olympics in China, yet BesTV, with no license form CNTV, provided 1) the streaming of Olympic games, 2) program time-shifted playback through server storage and 3) VOD to local cooperated IPTVs, and that damages CNTV’s legal rights. So far we have heard no reply from BesTV on the accusation.

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Does Kingdoms Kill Game Infringes Olympic Champions’s Name Right?

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By Albert Chen

To use famous person’s name as the game character could be deemed infringement? In recent, we found a case quarrelling in that dispute in China.

The popular online game Kingdoms Kill introduced Sun Yang and Ye Shiwen, the gold medal swimmer of China, as its game character with the upsurge of the recent closed international games. As stated by Bianfeng Company, the operator of the game, such virtualized figures would be withdrawn after August. Yet, on the other side, Ye’s father claimed they have make no license to Bianfeng on that game development. After reading the news, a question came up with me: is that infringing the rights of Sun and Ye? The following is my analysis:

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A Way for Companies to Agree on Copyright Belonging with Employees in China

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By Luo Yanjie

In real life, a large number of outstanding copyright works are created during people’s work. Outstanding works will undoubtedly bring great benefits to right people which lead to disputes. For example, Hu Jinqing and Wu Yun, The father of Calabash Brothers, sued Shanghai animation film studio years ago, who were asked to confirm whether the copyright of characters in “Calabash Brothers” belonged to them, which the studio said the art character’s copyright belongs to the studio (note: the link is in Chinese).

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Why It Is Not Easy to Combat QVOD Copyright Infringement?

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By Luo Yanjie

Most right holders of video in China are unsatisfied with a company named QVOD (the “QVOD Company”). Because anyone can use the QVOD Company’s web establishment scheme and the QVOD (the software of QVOD Company) to build a web to stream videos for users, and it has resulted in the wide spread of pirated works, while the right owners could not find the owner of websites in their right protections. Then, by view of law, is the QVOD infringing others’ rights? And what liabilities shall it take accordingly? The following is our analysis on it:

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How China Laws Provide on Song Covering in Talent Shows

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By You Yunting

A question raised up for me on Weibo stating: should all the singing performances by the participants in talent shows be licensed by the copyright holder? And who shall take the infringement liability once it is accused by the right holder? Behind the question, the most heated news related to the topic is that Universal sent a lawyer’s letter to Li Daimo, the participant of The Voice of China, accusing his unlicensed performance of “You Exist in My Song”, the works of Universal’s singer. Also in the letter, the company demands the ceasing of the performance of the song, by both the participant and The Voice. The seemingly short question actually has many legal issues in it, and the following is my answer to them.

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