Recent developments in protecting the copyrights of musical works

The spread of the internet and electronic technology has changed the way music is created and distributed.

In little more than a decade, the music industry has undergone a series of profound change. Music went from being distributed via records to CDs to digital files online. Record sale profits have shifted to relying mostly on membership and advertising fees.

More piracy

The convenience and ease of distributing music online have also made unauthorized uploading and downloading of music extremely simple. Piracy now far outstrips what it was during the cassette and CD era and poses unprecedented challenges for the music industry, as well as its closely linked copyright system.

The Chinese music market remains in a slump, impacted by the online free of charge model. Music copyright holders generally have been somewhat passive in protecting their rights due to its high cost and slow nature. However, certain recent developments in protecting musical copyright have drawn our attention.

Wang Yadong is the executive partner and Lu Lei is a partner of Run Ming Law Office