News websites must find new model

How will traditional print media forge a working relationship with news websites in the digital age? This is a question that both sides need to consider from a long-term viewpoint.

The conviction of a software developer for violating the property rights of the Beijing News for using what the newspaper had published on its iPad service reveals only a tip of the iceberg when it comes to the pirated use of print media's content by news websites. In this case, the software developer used content published by 60 papers without their knowledge. Of course, it did not pay them.

The Beijing News won the case and the intellectual property rights violator was ordered to pay 100,000 yuan in compensation, one-sixth of what the newspaper asked for. If anything, this can be considered a minor victory for the Beijing News, since it achieved more than it did in three similar suits it had lodged against violators of its intellectual property rights over the past decade.