List of 100 Western Songs Must Be Removed By September 15, 2011

Tania Branigan reports about newly banned list of 100 Western songs that are not approved by the Ministry of Culture. All links to these songs must be removed by music websites in China by September 15th, 2011. The reason: because they allegedly have never been submitted for approval.

According to Ms Braningan the list is based on the 2009 directive to tackle poor taste and vulgar content. Not sure whether she means the Some Opinions Concerning Stimulating Our Country's Audiovisual Industry's Healthy and Orderly Growth published by the General Administration for the Press and Publication (GAPP) on July 20, 2009 and translated by my scholarly friend Rogier Creemers of China Copyright and Media. In the opinions the GAPP makes clear that it abhors "audiovisual products with vulgar and even sexual content  drifting into the market".

Lady Gaga leads the blacklisted one hundred, since she was mentioned six times in the list. Also banned are songs from Katy Perry, Britney Spears.Interestingly enough also relatively old songs were on the list, including the 1998 song "I want it that way", from the Backstreet Boys. Read Ms Branigan's article for The Guardian here.

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Copyright Piracy of Communist Books is Not Patriotic

Photo Danny Friedmann
"A book is like a garden that you can put into your pocket"

IP Dragon Weekend Edition

As the Chinese proverb goes "a book is like a garden that you can put in your pocket." However, you cannot multiply books just as plants (well not in the case of genetically modified plants), even though the government might find the books commendable.

The General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) said that the authorities have seized 27 suspects so far for pirating a book on the history of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Mu Xuequan writes for Xinhua. Eight publishers and binderies were closed in Sanhe City, in Hebei.
Mu writes: "Five officials also received punishments for dereliction of duty".

The book that was counterfeited was the second book in the series about the crucial period 1949-1978 period. From the founding of the People's Republic of China by Mao Zedong until the economic reforms and opening up to the world policy of Deng Xiaoping.

The GAPP tries now to fight copyright piracy by launching the Green Bookmark campaign "aimed to persuade the public to buy authorized publications." But how can one avoid that the copyright pirates copy the Green Bookmark too?

Read the Xinhua article here.

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China Copyright and Media Looks At the Law of China's Entertainment Media

IP Dragon's friend Rogier Creemers has started a great website called 'China Copyright and Media, Looking at the Law of China's Entertainment Media', see here.

For this field of study it includes many relevant laws, regulations and rules, from the State Council of the National People's Congress, Central Committee, Supreme People's Court, Public Security Bureau (PSB), State Administration for Radio Film and Television (SARFT), General Administration for Press and Publications (GAPP), State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC), Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), etc.

The database is in "beta", but it is already very interesting.
So check it out: China Copyright and Media.

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