Chi Dong, copyright owner of the TV series "The Lettuce", accused the Japanese
station of unauthorized broadcast of the drama and claiming 2.6
million U.S. dollars in damages in a suit filed at a court in
Tokyo.
The lawsuit was the first of its kind concerning IPR violation of a TV series, said Chi Dong manager Zhang Xiaofang, who also cited a SKY PerfecTV program list, alleging it illegally aired around 500 Chinese TV dramas from 2003 to 2006.
Zhang said SKY PerfecTV's illegal broadcast of "The Lettuce" could be traced back to 2005, when its 785 channel aired the drama, apparently disregarding a warning letter from Chi Dong.
The company later appealed to a Tokyo court, but the TV station took no action after the court ordered an end to the infringement.
Zheng Shengli, a Beijing University professor specializing in IPR protection said,
Once again, education in the IPR is needed here. Not just to protect their own IPRs but also the protection of others. You cannot expect others to protect your IPR when you do not protect others.It isn't rare to see Chinese TV series being illegally broadcast abroad but most Chinese copyright-owners lack the sense of IPR protection, fear high legal costs and are unfamiliar with foreign legal procedure.
