Education & Training

What you need to know about the Copyright law in China?The Copyright Law of the People’s Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the Copyright Law) adopted on 7th September, 1990, was amended for the first time in 2001 and for the second time in 2010. Amendment to the Copyright Law for the third time is now underway. In addition, there are many other laws, regulations, ordinances and rules about copyright in China. China has also acceded to major international copyright treaties, such as the century-old Berne Convention, the Universal Copyright Convention, and the decade-old Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, or TRIPS Agreement, which set minimum standards for copyright regulation.Works Protected under Copyright Law in China Protected works include, among other things, works of literature, art, natural science, social science, engineering and technology, created in any of the following forms: (i) Written works (ii) Oral works (iii) Musical, dramatic, choreographic and acrobatic works (iv) Works of the fine arts and architecture; (v) Photographic works (vi) Graphic works such as drawings of engineering designs and product designs, maps and sketches, and model works (vii) Computer software (viii) Other works as provided for in laws and administrative regulationsScope of Copyright Protection Copyrights that are protected under the Copyright Law in China include the right of publication, authorship, revision, integrity, distribution, rental, exhibition, performance, presentation, broadcast or cinema screening, communication through information network, adaptation, translation, compilation and other rights to be enjoyed by copyright owners.Term of Protection for the Rights No time limit is set on the term of protection for an author’s rights of authorship and revision and his right to protect the integrity of his work. In respect of a work of a citizen, the term of protection for the right of publication and the related property rig