Government issues warning regarding TV broadcast rights

The government has shown its determination to further boost intellectual property rights (IPR) protection by announcing on July 7 that unauthorized firms transmitting Olympic events will face stiff penalties.

“No website, mobile phone platform or individual is permitted to transmit audio and video information regarding the Beijing Olympic Games or events within the mainland without a copyright or copyright holders' authorizations,” said Xu Chao, deputy director of the copyright management department of the National Copyright Administration of China, at a press conference in Beijing.

The government's aim, said Zhang Tianan, vice president of the CCPIT Patent and Trademark Law Office, is, on the one hand, to fulfill their commitment to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that the country will seriously work on the IP infringement issue before the Olympics begins. On the other hand, the government wants to emphasize the importance of IPR protection to the public.