China’s State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) is planning to set up a special department to deal with copyright disputes emerging in online video content, a source told the National Business Daily.

The source added that this move is very like to generate a standardized trade platform for online video content in China. SARFT will enhance its role in the realm of copyright management.

According to earlier media reports, SARFT sent a special team to survey CCTV.com, Shanghai Media Group Broad Band, pplive.com and ppstream.com, among many other online video content companies last year. A source revealed that the team inclines to make a once-for-all plan to solve the copyright problems associated with online video companies. Based on the plan, SARFT will establish a special department and develop copyright software aimed for content providers.

Currently, online video providers have to take copyright disputes to court. Many have complained about unfair standards and complicated procedures. They have called for real actions to solve these problems.

However, as SARFT is materializing its step, practitioners are skeptical. Some think it is absurd for SARFT to set up a special department to intervene with normal market behaviors.

A senior manager of an online video Web site questioned whether SARFT is capable of setting up a standardized copyright trade platform. Copyright holders are widely scattered and large in number. It will be difficult to put them all in one frame.

Zhang Hong, senior vice president of Letv.com said that with the current legal standards and copyright assessment standards showing so many gaps in China, the government should set up an arbitration body and standardize the copyright assessment systems for online video providers.

Zhang Hongbo, deputy executive director of the Creative Industry Assessment Center under China Industrial Design Association, said that the copyright value assessment has proved a big difficulty in China. He said efforts should be made together by both enterprises and the government to achieve progress in this matter.

(China.org.cn November 13, 2009)