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Beijing cracks down on piracy
More than a third of the 1,500 registered Internet cafes in Beijing have been or will soon be indicted on suspicion of piracy, according to local media reports. The move, initiated by the government, could lead to fines as high as $3 million, InformationWeek reports.
Copyright infringement is much more widespread than simply in Internet cafes. Guilty parties include hotels offering video-on-demand, karaoke bars, schools, and libraries. Video content piracy in China reportedly costs as high as $1.4 billion.
The State Copyright Bureau has adopted a zero-tolerance stance on piracy, but it often lacks the resources to punish violators. On top of the 600 Internet cafes being prosecuted in Beijing, there are a further 30,000 suspected businesses nationwide.
The National League of Internet Cafes said copyright infringement offline by Internet cafes is more of an issue than copyright infringement online. Out of more than 130,000 registered cafes in China, roughly 80,000 of them have never bought any video distribution systems, indicating there are varying degrees of infringement.
Story filed 19.07.10
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