Does Copyright Allow for Wider and Legitimate Access?Observations of the Development of Online Business for Delivering of Digital Content in China after the Golden Age of Piracy.

Dr. Sampsung X. ShiPost-doctoral Research FellowQueensland University of Technology

Online Film Business based on Piracy in China before 2010

Sep. 2006 – Jan. 2007: • 436 cases of online copyright infringements

and piracy. • 205 websites closed • six cases transferred to authorities for criminal

liabilities. The Motion Pictures Association of

America (MPAA) said :• In 2005: $6.1 billion lose worldwide = $2.4

billion (illegal retail sales) + $1.4 billion (illegal duplication) + $2.3 billion (online pirating).

Since 2007, online film piracy > illegal DVD copying worldwide. • An average movie can be downloaded 1.7

million times within 48 hours after it's released online. [China Daily, April 12, 2007]

“Funeral” for the “Death” of Bit Torrent (BT) China, and other P2P Sharing Websites for Movies, Music and E-books in the end of 2009

“All movies on the Internet just disappeared over ONE night!” “Internet users are crying at the ‘funeral’ for the death of file sharing.”

In December 2009, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) of China shut down hundreds of similar peer-to-peer file sharing sites, including:

Online Business is Forced to Transfer into Models that Embrace Regulation & Copyright Compliance : New Lawful Internet-based Film Distribution Platforms

But, eMule has survived and a new VeryCD.com is back online by transferring itself into a new business model based on legitimate content.

Most of those websites closed have just gone and would never be back online.

New Lawful Internet-based Film Distribution Platforms

Yes, eMule survived. So did many others. They are tudou.com, PPStreem, PPTV, SOHU TV, QIYI.com, Sina Movie, Youku.com, Ku6.com, etc.

NEW Business Models

How the Copyright Regime can Maintain a Wider & Legitimate Access Online?

But, it may not follow that the success in film and music industries could also be achieved in other fields, such as book and academic publishing. It is because:

Copyright Ownership:Centralized vs. Distributed

Production:Centralized vs. Distributed

Distribution:Commercial vs. Non-commercial

Copyright Infringement:Criminalized vs. Tolerated

New Business about Books: Digital Libraries

In China, digital libraries have been targeted by numerous lawsuits, and they have lost most cases. However, it appears that the lawsuits have not slowed down the development of them.

In response to increasing pressure of lawsuit, Baidu launched “Wenku Cooperation Platform”, offering copyright owners & publishers a chance to build an online digital library by creating a online market for the sale of copyrighted works. The new model is based on benefit-sharing of ads revenue or division of fees charged against VIP users. However, copyright owners’ acceptance of the new business model and possibility of market feasibility are not clear yet.

New Business about Books: Academic PublishingThe Ecosystem: Academic, University and Publishing

Independent verification of qualityBranding and visibilityEditing and typesettingAvailability in a variety of formatsMarketing and selling

But, this ecosystem is very local, in the context of globalization.

Thank You!