The descendants of Qi Baishi, a renowned Chinese painter, have filed suits against 24 publishing houses and one bookstore for copyright violations, claiming they are due compensation of several million yuan.

The Shenyang Intermediate People's Court called a court hearing for the case in February. The first trial is still underway, The Beijng News reported on Friday.

China's copyright law grants protection over works for fifty years after the death of the creator. Last year marked the fiftieth anniversary of Qi Baishi's death.

Just five days before Qi Baishi's copyright expired, his descendants brought a lawsuit against 24 publishing houses, including Tianjin People's Fine Arts Publishing House, Chongqing Publishing Group and a bookstore, for infringement on Qi Baishi's copyright.

An employee of Chongqing Publishing Group said the book they circulated is not a replica of Qi Baishi's works, but also contains analysis of his unique skills and painting style.

He asserted that this is a legitimate use of Qi's art, because the publishers intended to record and promote cultural heritage, not violate the artist's copyright.

A fine arts publishing expert said that in the last decade, many catalogues featuring works by some of China's great painters have been published by different companies. As a result, several famous artists are entangled in copyright issues of their own. That's why Qi Baishi's lawsuit attracted so much attention from the publishing industry.

(CRI March 15, 2008)