p2p news / p2pnet: The Big Four record label cartel’s IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) and Hollywood’s MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) have enthusiastically endorsed the China National Copyright Administration’s (NCA) shut down of 76 web sites as, “hard but effective,” says state news agency Xinhua.

The friendly ties between China and the entertainment cartels haven’t been remarked upon, let alone criticised, in stark contrast to its dealings with four of America’s largest Net companies, Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and Cisco, who are being attacked for their efforts to work with the People’s Republic. During their testimony to the House International Relations Committee, yesterday, “Your abhorrent actions in China are a disgrace,” Tom Lantos told them.

“I simply don’t understand how your corporate leadership sleeps at night.”

But insomnia doesn’t trouble MPAA boss Dan Glickman. He sleeps very well indeed, thank you, and in fact spends much of his time jetting back and forth between the US and China as Hollywood further cements the already close relationships between what amount to two totalitarian regimes.

“This special operation has achieved its purpose and has been favorably looked upon by the public and overseas rights-holders’ organizations,” NCA deputy commissioner Yan Xiaohong is quoted as saying.

“The administration also fined 29 websites 789,000 yuan (98,625 U.S. dollars) and transferred 18 suspected criminal cases to judiciary courts during the operation,” Yan said.

But one special operation wasn’t enough to, “eliminate Internet infringement, he said, because like many other countries, “China has not found a right approach yet”.

Meanwhile, “the State Council is expected to issue a statute on Internet information spread rights to regulate networks and fortify the defense of private and non-profit Internet websites,” Yan said, According to Xinhua.

“China joined the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 1980 and its two international treaties out of the total six – the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works and the Geneva Convention for the Protection of Producers of Phonograms Against Unauthorized Duplication of their Phonograms,” says the story, adding that Yan said China is now considering joining the WIPO Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty, “both enacted for copyright protection on the Internet”.

China’s goal is to, “create an environment favorable for both copyright protection and the product dissemination, and thus leave Internet information on hand for the public’s study and entertainment,” Yan added.

Also See:
76 web sites – China ‘piracy’ clamp-down, February 15, 2006
Xinhua – China stands firm in fighting Internet piracy, February 15, 2006
disgrace – Firms’ China actions ‘abhorrent’, February 15, 2006

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Download it here and feel free to copy the zip and host it yourself so others can download it.

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