China to strengthen copyright protection to adapt high-tech developments

China's Supreme People's Court, the country's top court, is seeking public opinion on plans to strengthen copyright and copyright-related protection, especially rights protection in cyberspace. 

The draft plan aims to strengthen rights protection in emerging areas, in order to adapt to developments in high-tech areas such as the internet, artificial intelligence and big data. 

The draft also vows to ensure proper trials of new types of cases including livestreaming of sporting events and video games, in a bid to boost the standardized development of new industries. 

Xu Yiyu, a lawyer at Beijing-based Globe-Law law firm, told the Global Times on Wednesday the draft plan comes amid China's growing digital economy under the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Content producers nowadays not only refer to people making traditional paper works, but including those on social media and short video platforms, hence, requiring strengthening copyright protection, Xu added. 

"The draft is part of China's efforts to enhance the country's intellectual property protection (IPR) in recent years," he noted.

Following years of intensified crackdowns on IPR infringements, the country moved up three slots to 14th in the 2019 World Intellectual Property Organization global innovation index.

Improving IP protection in the country facilitates investment by foreign companies. In 2019, China saw its ease of doing business ranking jump to 31 from 46 the year previous, according to a World Bank report.

This year, greater focus will be placed on major physical marketplaces with frequent IPR infringements, such as internet spaces and commodities that concern public health and safety, according to the plan released by the State Administration for Market Regulation in April.