intellectual property

intellectual-property

In a First, Beijing Court Grants Copyright to AI-Assisted Artwork

Timely reports on issues and events from across China. Drawing on a vast range of sources, these succinct articles provide insights into the significance of each issue in a wider context.

NEWS

The court ruled that AI-generated images demonstrating human originality and intellectual input should be protected by copyright law.

Ye Zhanhang

China’s New Public Academic Platform Takes on Industry Giants

Launched by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, PubScholar offers millions of academic papers, journal articles, dissertations, and patent documents at no cost.

Yang Caini

Famous Taiwan Rapper Admits Plagiarizing Comic About Depression 

The 2004 comic “Jumping Off a Building” depicts a suicidal woman witnessing the sad lives of her neighbors as she falls to her death. MC HotDog, a famous Taiwanese rapper, has just admitted using the storyline in his new song without authorization.

Jiang Zuer

Photo Agency Demands Compensation From Photographer — For Using Own Photos

VCG has demanded up to 86,500 yuan ($11,856) in compensation after a photographer published his own photos on his WeChat public account.

China Wants Only Copyrighted Murders in the Building

Regulators are clamping down on the sale of pirated murder-mystery scripts, the central part of the widely popular “jubensha” game.

Chinese Tourist Spot Accused of Copyright Infringement 

An architect studio claims those responsible for the new visitor center at Huangguoshu Waterfall started construction without its knowledge and are yet to pay them.

Netflix, Disney, Amazon Sue Chinese App for Copyright Violations

Renren Video — the streaming service in question — has faced dozens of similar lawsuits over the years.

China Vows to Strengthen Intellectual Rights Protection 

IP rights-related lawsuits have seen an average annual increase of 24.5% since 2013.

Sixth Tone

China’s Push to End Market Monopoly Targets Music Industry

The new rule requires streaming platforms to end exclusive music licensing deals with artists and record labels.

Wu Peiyue

China’s Popular Piracy Website Founder Gets Over 3 Years Jail Time

Liang Yongping developed the YYeTs website and app with nearly 33,000 foreign titles.

Fan Yiying

Zhu Ruiying

A Hit TV Crime Series Is Facing an Off-Screen Offense — Piracy

Episodes from “Crime Crackdown” released in advance for premium subscribers were found circulating on various social media platforms.

Jiang Yaling

PayPal-Less Journal Pirate Sci-Hub Seeks Funds via Alipay

The site is beset by legal challenges from publishers who say it violates their copyrights.

Nie Yiming

Ye Ruolin

Submission for China’s Top Sci-Fi Prize Found to Be Stephen King Rip-Off

The writer is also believed to have previously plagiarized several stories from the same anthology by the American author.

Kenrick Davis

Plagiarizing Director’s Film Pulled From China’s Silver Screens

Some online are arguing that it would be unfair for an entire production to be punished because of one man’s mistakes over a decade ago.

China’s TV Industry Wants to Blacklist Known Plagiarists

Dozens of screenwriters, directors, and producers are calling for shows to stop “publicizing and hyping” intellectual property thieves by continuing to invite them on.

Cai Xuejiao

‘Zelda Clone’ Wins Game of the Year Honors From Apple, Google

While Chinese-developed role-playing game Genshin Impact has been a critical and commercial success, some say it borrows heavily from Switch hit The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

China’s Short-Video Apps Urged to Crack Down on Unauthorized Music

Major social platforms including Douyin and Kuaishou were found to be rife with songs users did not have permission to use.

Shaolin Temple’s Trademark Spree Spurs Copyright Debate

The famed religious institution was discovered to have claimed ownership of hundreds of phrases.

Shenzhen Man Kills Himself Over Blocked WeChat Account

His account, which he used for business, had been blocked for three days after another user reported him for harassing her and sending pornographic content.

Zhang Wanqing

Tobacco Group to Cigarettes Using Telescope’s Name: Not So FAST!

A Yunnan tobacco brand has been accused of unlawfully profiting from the name of China’s enormous space telescope.