About two months ago, with just a few clicks of a mouse, many US TV series fans in China were able to watch their favorite dramas online for free.
They had little choice but to watch unlicensed video clips online because domestic cable channels did not broadcast the shows. But now it is a lot harder for viewers to find such unauthorized online screenings.
In November 2010, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) announced a ban on any forms of trading and supplying of unauthorized foreign TV series. Along with the ban, the Ministry of Culture launched a six-month nationwide crackdown on counterfeiting in October to halt the theft of intellectual property rights (IPRS) and promote public awareness of IPRS protection.
In response, China's major video-hosting websites, including Youku.com, Tudou.com and Ku6.com, removed unauthorized foreign TV series videos.
A podcastor, using an online name "Xueselaoxie" on the Nasdaq-listed Youku.com, said some 7,000 unauthorized videos of American TV series he had uploaded were deleted by the website in a single night.
To fans of foreign TV series, the ban might be a nightmare. But to the country, it was an important step in fighting IPRS infringement, said Li Yongqiang, assistant to the CEO of Beijing Baofeng Inc, an online video-hosting service.
Similar regulations were issued earlier. But never had they received as many reactions as this one, Li said.
"I believe the entire online video-sharing industry realized the importance of a healthy development environment, and people's awareness of IPRS will be raised," Li said.
Following the order from the central government, many provinces strengthened their efforts to crack down on online IPRS infringement. In Northeast China's Jilin province, the provincial copyright administration shut down two websites, o2sky.com and imdj.net, after they were found illegally providing unauthorized videos of South Korean movies.
The ban has resulted in a reshuffle of the online video-sharing industry in China, with major domestic websites gearing up to offer copyrighted imports of TV series and films. Sohu TV already offers many copyrighted online videos of American TV series, including Gossip Girl, The Big Bang Theory and Nikita, after signing agreements with Warner Bros.
Youku.com signed agreements with three major South Korean TV stations - MBC, KBS and SBS and has purchased the rights from Warner Bros. to stream the hit movie Inception, charging 5 yuan (75 US cents) for each viewing. Additionally, Tudou.com is trying to produce its own films and TV series.
"From website operators to video producers, content copyright has become more crucial to the survival of video portals," said Li Shanyou, CEO of Ku6.com.
"It's good to protect IPRS, but I would still like to watch the TV series online for free," said Cui Shan, a citizen of Changchun, capital city of Jilin province.
"Definitely there are markets for foreign TV series or movies in China," Cui said. "I think those websites should import more copyrighted movies and keep offering them at a low price to win audiences."
China now has more than 200 million video website users and the market is growing, said Li Yongqiang. More paid online video programs will emerge as the cost of importing authorized films and TV programs rises.
Li said it is likely that video-sharing websites will cooperate to import copyrighted programs from overseas in order to lower the cost of watching TV series online.
The authors are writers with Xinhua News Agency.
主站蜘蛛池模板： 国产大学生系列| 欧美videosex性欧美成人| 国产精品毛片在线完整版| 久久久噜久噜久久gif动图| 男人狂桶女人出白浆免费视频| 国产热の有码热の无码视频| 一级毛片成人午夜| 校花公交车上被迫打开双腿| 冠希实干阿娇13分钟视频在线看| 中文字幕5566| 妞干网手机视频| 久久综合久久网| 波多野结衣系列痴女| 凹凸国产熟女精品视频| 色之综合天天综合色天天棕色| 国产精品成人va在线播放| 99久久精品日本一区二区免费| 日本免费人成视频播放| 亚洲欧洲自拍拍偷午夜色无码| 老熟妇仑乱一区二区视頻| 国产国语在线播放视频| 9999热视频| 成人自慰女黄网站免费大全| 亚洲一区二区三区久久| 男人操女人免费视频| 凹凸在线无码免费视频| 精品欧美小视频在线观看| 国产成人欧美一区二区三区| 99久热re在线精品视频| 天天操天天摸天天舔| 久久久噜噜噜久久熟女AA片| 日韩男人的天堂| 亚洲欧洲自拍拍偷午夜色无码| 污污视频在线观看黄| 亚洲精品无码mv在线观看网站| 翁熄系列乱老扒bd在线播放| 国产欧美一区二区另类精品| 金8国欧美系列在线| 大象视频在线免费观看| 中文字幕在线视频免费观看| 欧美va天堂在线电影|