World Media Leaders Emphasize Intellectual Property Rights, Enhanced Cooperation

Leading figures from the world's most renowned media organizations met in Beijing on Tuesday at the World Media Summit (WMS) presidium meeting to discuss the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR), the rise of "new media" and cooperation between international media groups.

Li Congjun, executive president of the WMS and president of Xinhua News Agency, said it was agreed at the meeting that media's role in IPR protection has become increasingly relevant in an era with advanced digital and cyber technologies.

Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., publisher and chairman of the board of The New York Times, called for a better international system for protecting media's IPR, and legislation to protect the legal uses of stories and the rights of the original reporters.

IPR is extremely important, said Thomas Curley, president and CEO of The Associated Press.

New media's rise was seen as an opportunity for enhanced cooperation among news organizations.

"New media not only affects traditional media but also provides more chances for cooperation," said Mark Thompson, director-general of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

Ringo Chan, Senior Vice President of Turner Broadcasting System, described the summit as an open forum for all media platforms to communicate frankly on key issues.

"The meeting is a wonderful opportunity to exchange ideas and further discuss cooperation among different media organizations," said Ahmed Shaikh, editor-in-chief of Al Jazeera.

The members of the presidium meeting agreed that the next WMS will be hosted by ITAR-TASS in Moscow next year.

"A regular summit is quite necessary, and it should become a regulator between media and society," said Vitaly Nikitich Ignatenko, director general of ITAR-TASS. "The MWS held in Beijing two years ago exerted international influence."

The meeting was attended by leaders and senior members of Xinhua News Agency, the Associated Press (AP), the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), The New York Times, ITAR-TASS, Kyodo News, News Corporation, Thomson-Reuters, Al Jazeera, Google and Turner Broadcasting System (TBS).

The World Media Summit, launched by Xinhua and eight other major media organizations, was held two years ago in Beijing from October 8-10 and attended by about 300 representatives from more than 170 media outlets around the world. Al Jazeera and The New York Times joined the presidium in 2010 and 2011, respectively.