Cross-border exchange of cultural products will be smoother after a state-level copyright trading center was set up in Shanghai's pilot free trade zone yesterday.

The National Copyright Trading Base (Shanghai), the first of its kind in the Yangtze Delta region, is an international platform for transactions and exhibitions of works protected by copyrights.

The center also provides services such as copyright dispute settlement, value assessment, talent training and financial services.

"With the reform advantage, Shanghai free trade zone should play a leading role in exploration of measures that will boost copyright trading, financing and value development," said Yu Cike, head of the copyright management department with the National Copyright Administration.

Shanghai's copyright industry has surpassed 200 billion yuan (US$33 billion) in value added, with core sectors such as press and publication, radio, film and television, advertising and design, culture and art, and software and the Internet information services contributing 61.5 percent of the total.

Meanwhile, the FTZ yesterday opened its first culture licensing fair for cross-border trading of cultural works, bringing together more than 1,000 exhibits from France, Germany, Russia, the US, Japan and Israel.