2019 is the seventh year of the conclusion of the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Office in China, Beijing Copyright Bureau and the Organizing Committee of Beijing International Film Festival jointly sponsored the forum titled “Film and Copyright: Opportunities and Challenges” on April 16.

Yu Cike, Director General of Copyright Department of National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC) said, “Copyright protection and operation runs through the creation and display of a movie as well as derivative products, covering the entire industrial chain. The creation, spread, and development and use of excellent film products and even the prosperity of the film industry at large would be impossible without a sound copyright legal framework, and stringent and effective copyright protection.” The NCAC has been conducting the special online infringement and piracy crackdown “Jianwang” campaign for 15 consecutive years, giving priority to the order of films and television copyright rectification. Meanwhile, the NCAC focuses on the regulation of online films and videos, special regulation of videos-on-demand and the early warning of the protection of films and TV programs. According to Yu, the Chinese government will proactively deliver its commitments to international treaties and sincerely looks forward to joining hands with the international community to create a more promising future of the international copyright undertaking.

The Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances was concluded in June 2012. Wang Binying, Deputy Director General of WIPO noted that the Treaty is of great significance to the film industry as well as all performers and expressed her expectations for the early entry into force of the Treaty. Wang Yefei, Deputy Director General of the Publicity Department of Beijing Municipal Party Committee, also called for more efforts to promote the early implementation of the Treaty and make renewed greater contribution to the improvement of global legal framework for intellectual property rights (IPR) and the protection of performers in the Internet context.

A series of keynote speeches were made during the forum, including “Film and Copyright: From Legal Principles to the Market” and “Film and Culture: Film Policy and Strategy on Promoting and Spreading Cultural Diversity”. Participants held that China’s film market has huge consumption potential and tremendous space for development, and professional copyright protection is conducive to the healthy development of the film industry. Therefore, more efforts should be devoted to promoting the early entry into force of the Treaty so as to drive international copyright cooperation and the healthy development of cultural industries worldwide.