On September 10, the 2019 China-Japan Copyright Seminar was held in Tokyo, jointly by the National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC) and Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan. The guests from the Chinese and Japanese copyright industry fully exchanged views on the theme of “the status and challenges of copyright development in China and Japan in the digital age”. They shared new initiatives, new achievements and new experience in copyright protection in the context of a new round of scientific and technological revolution.

Yu Cike, Director General of Copyright Department, NCAC, as well as Mori Takayuki, Director General of Japan Copyright Office, Agency for Cultural Affairs attended the seminar and made speeches separately.

In his speech, Yu Cike pointed out that at present, copyright protection and development are facing a series of challenges brought about by the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation represented by the Internet, big data and artificial intelligence. To this end, China is implementing the strategies of innovation-driven development and strengthening the country with intellectual property. We have proceeded extensively and fruitfully in copyright protection, including revising and improving the current copyright law, and continuously carrying out the “Jianwang” campaign. How to strengthen copyright innovation, protection and application in the digital environment is not only the topic of the copyright industry in China and Japan, but also an international focus of the industry. We hope to share new initiatives and new achievements in copyright protection in the digital environment between China and Japan through in-depth exchanges and discussions with our Japanese colleagues, and thus promoting new development of copyright cooperation between the two countries.

Mori Takayuki believed that since China and Japan signed the Memorandum of Strategic Copyright Cooperation in 2002, the two sides have maintained sound communication. In particular, the copyright seminar not only enhances understanding and mutual learning, but also provides the industry with an integrated service mechanism of copyright disputes settlement and copyright trade platform construction, which has played a positive role in advancing the economic, technological and cultural prosperity of China and Japan.

Xu Wei, Director of the Social Service Division of the Copyright Department, NCAC and Ms. KISHIMOTO Orie, Director of Copyright Division, JCO, Agency for Cultural Affairs introduced the latest developments in copyright management, creation, protection and application, as well as the problems of both countries facing and corresponding solutions on the seminar respectively.

During the Japanese visit, the Chinese copyright delegation also held an intergovernmental working meeting with the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan, and in order to research the copyright protection of online music, films, media integration and fonts, as well as the protection of performers’ rights, the delegation visited copyright-related departments and enterprises, such as King Records Co., Ltd., Studio Ghibli Inc., Morisawa Inc., and Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation, which the two sides reached more consensus on deepening copyright cooperation.