CHINA: Authorities burn mountains of illegal DVDs and books to demonstrate their crackdown on piracy

Record ID: 837460

  • Title: CHINA: Authorities burn mountains of illegal DVDs and books to demonstrate their crackdown on piracy
  • Date: 23rd April 2011
  • Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (APRIL 22, 2011) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PIRATED DVD GRINDING CEREMONY IN PROGRESS VARIOUS OF OFFICIALS GRINDING PIRATED DVD VARIOUS OF PILE OF PIRATED DVDS (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL COPYRIGHT ADMINISTRATION YAN XIAOHONG SAYING: "I think the biggest breakthrough this time is that in a short span of time we were able to catch those illegally producing and selling pirated goods. In addition, Public Security Bureau, prosecutor office and the court have approved such action in a very short time." VARIOUS OF WORKERS GRINDING PIRATED DVD (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL COPYRIGHT ADMINISTRATION YAN XIAOHONG SAYING: "I am not saying that we have done a perfect job. This is because China is a big country. China is also in a transitional period and is completing the market economy and Chinese society is still developing. Such phenomenon to occur has its objective, unavoidable and historical reasons." BEIJING, CHINA (APRIL 21, 2011) (REUTERS) SIGN READING "INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT EXCHANGE" IN ENGLISH AND MANDARIN PILE OF DOCUMENTS ON TABLE / PEOPLE REGISTERING FOR COPYRIGHT VARIOUS OF WOMAN REGISTERING FOR COPYRIGHT BEIJING, CHINA (APRIL 20, 2011) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING ON STREET (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) MUSIC AGENT LINZA YONG SAYING: "I don't think this is easy to resolve because over time everyone has got used to using pirated goods. But if they want to resolve it, the government will have to spend a long time and a lot of effort." PEOPLE WALKING UP TO OVERHEAD BRIDGE (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 22-YEAR-OLD PEKING UNIVERSITY STUDENT MR. ZHANG SAYING: "The fact that piracy in China is so obvious, and so famous is above all because of national policies. Because pirated ones are cheap to make and buy, so there's a price difference with authentic ones. To resolve this issue, firstly China needs policies to attack piracy, and secondly perhaps they need to make the price of authentic items lower." MAN INSERTING PIRATED DVD INTO COMPUTER
  • Embargoed: 8th May 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China, China
  • City:
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
  • Reuters ID: LVAATVZJSAFJ5R086EDOPU0UUR4A
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  • Story Text: China destroyed millions of pirated DVDs on Friday (April 22) in a public demonstration of its crackdown on copyright infringement.
    As officials and workers ground some of the 26 million pirated DVDs, music CDs and books collected in a year-long nationwide campaign, Deputy Director of the National Copyright Administration Yan Xiaohong said China's fight against piracy was making progress.
    "I think the biggest breakthrough this time is that in a short span of time we were able to catch those illegally producing and selling pirated goods. In addition, Public Security Bureau, prosecutor office and the court have approved such action in a very short time," Yan told journalist during the ceremony.
    The demonstration came a month after the United States claimed that the world's No.2 economy has missed a deadline to comply with a World Trade Organization ruling against restrictions on foreign companies distributing copyright-sensitive goods like books, newspapers, films, DVDs and music.
    The U.S. argues that China's restrictions on the distribution of legitimate movies, music and other copyrighted goods creates enormous Chinese demand for pirated copies sold on the Internet and on the street.
    Despite crackdown efforts, critics say China is insincere in its attempts to curb violations and that it is moving in slow motion to crackdown on vendors and producers of infringing materials but China argues that it needs more time.
    "I am not saying that we have done a perfect job. This is because China is a big country. China is also in a transitional period and is completing the market economy and Chinese society is still developing. For such a phenomenon to occur there are objective, unavoidable and historical reasons," Yan said.
    China will not continue to strengthen its fight against piracy, he added.
    But the streets of Beijing tell a different story.
    Shops found throughout the capital sell pirated DVDs of Hollywood blockbusters and arthouse films alike that are often still showing in the cinema.
    Versions of varying quality sell for between eight yuan and 15 yuan (one to two U.S. dollars), while watching a film at the cinema costs a minimum of 40 yuan (U.S. dollars).
    Entire seasons of popular American shows like True Blood and Mad Men sell for less than ten U.S. dollars.
    Beijing resident and music agent Linza Yong said pirated goods had become part of everyday life.
    "I don't think this is easy to resolve because over time everyone has got used to using pirated goods. But if they want to resolve it, the government will have to spend a long time and a lot of effort," she said.
    Individual DVD sellers can also be found at many subway stations and on street corners, some also offering soft pornography such as Hong Kong's first 3D porn movie 'Sex and Zen', and films with much more explicit content if asked.
    Student Mr Zhang blamed the booming pirate industry on the high cost of authentic goods, which cost around ten times as much and are only sold in official book and film shops.
    "The fact that piracy in China is so obvious, and so famous is above all because of national policies. Because pirated ones are cheap to make and buy, so there's a price difference with authentic ones. To resolve this issue, firstly China needs policies to attack piracy, and secondly perhaps they need to make the price of authentic items lower," said Mr Zhang.
    But foreign films are not the only pirated items available.
    Politically sensitive books banned in the mainland, which are pirated from official copies produced in Hong Kong can also be found.
    One vendor in central Beijing offers the highly sensitive Secret Journal of Zhao Ziyang, the former Communist Party Chief who was purged for sympathising with students during the pro-democracy uprisings in 1989, and books by jailed Nobel Peace Prize winning rights activist Liu Xiaobo.
    The International Intellectual Property Alliance, a coalition of U.S. copyright industry groups, estimates U.S. companies have lost billions of dollars in sales over the years in China due to piracy.
    The WTO's appellate body ruled in late 2009 that Beijing had failed to comply with commitments it made when it joined the WTO in 2001 to remove many restrictions on the distribution of copyrighted goods within three years.
    China was given until March 19, 2011 to comply with the ruling, requiring it to change "a complex web of measures issued by numerous agencies," USTR has previously said.
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