Ministry of Culture and General Administration of Customs, Administration of Import of Audio and Video Products Measures

Promulgated: April 17 2002
Effective: June 1 2002
Interpreting authority: Ministry of Culture (except that the General Administration of Customs shall be the interpreting authority for matters concerning customs)
Applicability: These Measures apply to audio and video products imported as finished products or imported for publication, distribution over information networks or other purposes, including those imported from Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan (Articles 3 and 35). For the purposes of these Measures, "audio and video products" means pre-recorded cassette tapes, video tapes, phonograph records, music laser discs and video laser discs (Article 2).

Main contents: The Measures provide that import of audio and video products is subject to licensing (Article 7). A special committee shall be set up under the Ministry of Culture to examine the contents of audio and video products to be imported (Article 12). Importers of audio and video products shall provide the Ministry of Culture with product samples and other materials as may be required for content examination (Articles 13, 14 and 16). No one shall publish, reproduce, sell by retail or wholesale, rent, display for profit or distribute over any information network any audio and video products whose import has not been approved by the Ministry of Culture (Article 19). Where an audio and video product is approved for import and publication, no finished products of it shall be imported during the term of its copyright authorization (Article 22). Within 30 days of its publication, a sample of the audio and video product shall be submitted to the Ministry of Culture for the record (Article 25).
Related legislation: State Council, Administration of Audio and Video Products Regulations, Dec 25 2001, CLP 2002 No.1 p13