Biz Scene: BIZ UNUSUAL

Domain names go cheap

Registering a website under China's national domain name, ".cn", now costs no more than the price of a bus ticket.

According to the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), the country's domain name administrator, people who register a domain name ending in ".cn" before May 31 will be charged only 1yuan for the first year.

The CNNIC said the move is aimed at drawing more registrations from companies and netizens. It previously cost between 80 and 100 yuan to register a domain name in China.

But people still need to pay 80 to 100 yuan a year, according to the CNNIC.

Cinemas take off

Going to the cinema has become more popular in China in recent years.

The nation's box office revenue nearly tripled in the past three years, China News Services reported.

Box office revenue increased from 930 million yuan in 2003 to 2.62 billion yuan last year, with an average annual growth rate of 44.1 percent, the news agency cited Yin Hong, vice-dean of the School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University, as saying.

He also said that domestic film products increased 370 percent from 2001, the highest output of the culture industry. "It's marvellous that domestic movies accounted for more than 50 percent of the market share."

Shareholder bonuses

Many Chinese companies are offering substantial bonuses to shareholders. In light of last year's record corporate earnings, about 120 companies listed on the A-share market plan to offer a cash bonus.

Shareholders in Yunnan Chihong Zinc & Germanium Co will enjoy the biggest bonus in the history of China's A-share market after its net profit per share jumped by 692 percent and earnings per share topped 5.3 yuan in 2006.

Under the company's profit-sharing arrangement, shareholders will receive 10 bonus shares and a pre-tax 30-yuan cash bonus for every 10 shares. A total of 195 million bonus shares will be issued and 585 million yuan paid out.

Writer sues Sohu.com

A short message writer, Fu, has sued Sohu.com, accusing the embattled Chinese Web portal of using his short messages without paying him.

Fu said that he signed a one-year agreement with Sohu.com on January 31, 2005, authorizing Sohu.com to use 200 of his short messages on its website that year. But Sohu.com continued to use the short messages after the agreement expired on January 30, 2006 without his approval or payment.

Fu said that Sohu.com had infringed his copyright and asked it to stop the infringement, apologize and compensate him to the tune of 3 million yuan.

Siemens on show

A huge, movable exhibition with a hall that has two floors, eight showrooms and a multimedia demo room, has opened in Beijing.

The exhibition, Exiderdome, shows visitors the industrial automation products, systems and solutions of German industrial giant Siemens, as well as its development in automation technologies.

Visitors to Exiderdome can explore visual effects and an introduction to the products and technologies of Siemens Automation and Drives (A&D).

The exhibition hall cost about 40 million yuan to set up, according to Siemens A&D China.

(China Daily 03/13/2007 page15)