China signs copyright cooperation deal

The National Copyright Administration and the World Intellectual Property Organization signed an agreement on Dec 1 in Shanghai to strengthen bilateral cooperation in intellectual property rights.

The signing ceremony attracted copyright experts and representatives from copyright associations, protection centers and management organizations.

According to the agreement, the NCA and WIPO will carry out all-around cooperation and make greater efforts in copyright promotion, personnel training, high-level exchanges and communications.

Yan Xiaohong, deputy director of the administration, said a positive and stable relationship has long been maintained between NCA and WIPO. The two have carried out many successful projects, such as the International Copyright Forum and the WIPO copyright award.

"The agreement would consolidate our current achievements, expand cooperation fields and normalize the copyright exchange mechanism," Yan said.

As a developing country and member of WIPO, China is willing to assume greater copyright responsibilities under the guidance of the organization, he added.

WIPO Director General Francis Gurry said at the signing ceremony that China, with the help of the NCA, has made clear progress in recent years in copyright legislation and enforcement, international communication and cooperation.

With the rise of the Internet, creative industries have undergone sweeping changes worldwide. Multilateral cooperation therefore is important, Gurry said.

Signing such an agreement would enable WIPO to have a better chance of witnessing China's new achievements in global creative industries and what role the country will play in the future, he added.

Since 1980, when China joined WIPO, the administration has stayed close with the organization and actively participated in international events organized by the worldwide provider of IP services, policies and information.

"We have been relatively successful" in international cooperation, with two multilateral copyright treaties concluded in recent years, including the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances, Gurry said.

The Beijing treaty was signed by 72 members of WIPO during the Diplomatic Conference on the Protection of Audiovisual Performances in Beijing in 2012. It was then approved by China's top legislature in 2014.

The international treaty was the first of its kind to be finalized in China and to be named for a city in the country. Its approval showed China's determination to tackle IP infringements in the audiovisual performing industry, Yan said.

haonan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 12/09/2015 page17)