Baidu copyright infringement
p2pnet.net News:- China’s biggest Net search engine Baidu.com, partly-owned by Google, has been already accused (with Google) of Net censorship.
Now it`s being sued by two local companies over alleged copyright infringement just before it`s first share sale in the US.
According to Xinhua, China`s state news agency, Beijing New Picture Film Co., copyright owner of `House of Flying Daggers,` filed a suit in June against Baidu for allowing users to download the movie for a fee, the plaintiff`s lawyer, Ye Zhijian, said Monday by phone in the eastern city of Hangzhou. The Chinese-language film was released overseas by Sony Corp.
Shanghai Busheng Music Culture Media Co. also sued Baidu in June for allowing unauthorized downloads of 53 songs, according to share sale documents released by Beijing-based Baidu ahead of its planned offer of stock on the NASDAQ market in the United States Baidu spokeswoman Zhang Ling in Beijing declined to discuss either case.
The allegations have cast great uncertainty over Baidu`s future business models and revenue, Gu Feng, a Shanghai technology analyst is quoted as saying.
This is something investors should take into account.
Beijing New Picture Film is demanding US$20,056 in compensation and damages from Baidu, lawyer Ye said.
The Hangzhou Intermediary Court would rule on the case in about two weeks, Ye said. Shanghai Busheng is seeking US$67,661 in damages, Baidu`s documents show, adds Xinhua.
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See:-
Xinhua – Baidu sued for piracy ahead of IPO, August 3, 2005
Net censorship – Google helps ‘China Matrix’, p2pnet, September 20, 2004
