|
Net cafes in China fined for violating HK TV copyright |
|
|
|
Written by Felix Da Silva (fdasilva@bitnip.com)
|
|
Sunday, 20 April 2008 |
 Eight Internet cafes in Shanghai and a television serial provider were on Tuesday ordered to pay 65,000 yuan (US$9,286) to a Beijing company for violating its copyright of Hong Kong television shows.
Beijing Netmovie had been exclusively authorized by the Hong Kong
Television Broadcast to broadcast some Hong Kong television shows on the
Internet on the Chinese mainland.
Last July the company found some net bars offering the television shows
without permission. The company filed a lawsuit to the Shanghai No. 2
Intermediate People's Court, asking that its copyright be enforced.
Some of the net cafes, such as the Qiang Ming Net Cafe and the Zhi Ye Net
Cafe, argued in court that they had signed an agreement with Shanghai Kuanyu
Digital Technology Co Ltd which controlled the servers in the net bars and
offered the television shows.
Kuanyu admitted that it had signed agreements with two net bars to provide
one of the television shows without authorization. The other television show
involved in the case had been downloaded illegally by the net cafes, the court
heard.
The court ruled that the defendants had obviously violated Netmovie's
copyright.
|
