Across China: Shanghai

Music on expo protected

The 2010 Shanghai World Expo organizers recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Music Copyright Society of China to protect the royalties of artists whose music is played on the site of the expo.

The Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination will collect royalties on behalf of the Music Copyright Society of China from the expo participants and businesses operating on the site if they play music. The society will then send the money to the copyright owners.

Under Chinese law, people must be authorized by the author or the copyright owner before they use an artist's works.

The MOU allows expo participants and businesses on the site to use any music possessed by the society without prior approval of the copyright owners, Zhou Hanmin, deputy director of the World Expo 2010 Shanghai Executive Committee, was quoted as saying by Shanghai Daily.

The society has more than 5,000 composers and artists on the Chinese mainland as members who hold copyright on more than 14 million pieces of music.

The society will negotiate with the copyright owner on behalf of those wanting to use a piece of music if it doesn't already have the rights, Zhou said.

This is the first time a World Expo organizer has signed a memorandum for the protection of intellectual property rights, he added.

Hi-tech startups aided

The Shanghai Yangpu Science and Technology Venture Center will give 5 million yuan worth of subsidies to small hi-tech startup companies to help with training and consulting, Shanghai Daily reported.

It is part of the center's support measures to help the more than 200 registered companies located there to face the economic crisis.

Other measures include the launch of a small credit company at the center and subsidized internships for 1,000 university students in startup companies.

Companies with independent intellectual property rights and high business potential will be given priority in these measures.

The center will pay 50 to 80 percent of companies' fees to consultants who want to develop ties with the center and offer discounts for expert advice about finance, law, patents and other problems they meet in development.

A small credit company with registered capital of 100 million yuan was launched in the center to offer loans to small hi-tech companies. A first group of 12 businesses that have had difficulties getting funding from banks because of their limited size were offered 15.55 million yuan worth of loans.

(China Daily 05/11/2009 page11)