The National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC) on January 25 published the list of the top 10 events of the country’s copyright enforcement of 2021.

1. Copyright Law Amendment

The Third Amendment to the Copyright Law of China took effect from June 1, 2021.

2. Ratification of the Marrakesh VIP Treaty (《马拉喀什条约》)

The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPCSC) of China ratified the Marrakesh VIP Treaty (formally the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons who are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled, colloquially Marrakesh Treaty or MVT) in October 2021.

3. Copyright protection in criminal justice systems

The right of dissemination of information network and performers’s right have become enforceable and protectable by the eleventh amendment to the Criminal Law of China, which came into force in March 1, 2021. The statutory penalty for copyright infringement can be up to 10 years, and the statutory penalty for distribution of  infringing works can be up to 5 years.

4. NCAC’s work plan under 14th Five-Year Plan

The NCAC released its work plan under the 14th Five-Year Plan.

5. Innovative copyright enforcement and protection acts

6. Anti-monopoly policy on digital music platforms

Chinese digital music platforms are not allowed to sign exclusive copyright agreements except in special circumstances.

7. Copyright policy in karaoke

The NCAC and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China jointly released the Notice on Regulating Copyright Enforcement in Karaoke (《关于规范卡拉OK领域版权市场秩序的通知》).

8. China International Copyright Expo

The 8th China International Copyright Expo was held in Hangzhou city, Zhejiang province in October.

9. Wujiang Silk Industry Case Study (吴江模式)

On December 9, 2020, the International Evaluation and Conclusion Meeting on the Case Study of Best Practice in Copyright Utilization and Protection in Wujiang District of Suzhou in its Silk Industry (Wujiang Silk Industry Case Study) was held in Wujiang, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province. This is the third Case Study of Best Practice in Copyright Utilization and Protection organized by WIPO, following the case study in Nantong on textile industry and the case study in Dehua on ceramics. It aims to promote the transformation, upgrading and high-quality development of Wujiang silk and textile industry through strengthening copyright protection, and conclude and refine the experience of copyright work with significance.

10. Copyright infringement lawsuit against YYeTs.com

Liang Yongping, founder of video portal YYeTs.com (人人影视字幕组), was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison and a fine of 1.5 million yuan ($240,000) by a Shanghai court in November 2021. YYeTs.com pirated movies and television shows like “Friends”.

The full text is available here.