KTV clubs in China are to be
charged fees for using MTV products, according to the National Copyright
Administration.
The China Audio-Video Collective Management Association has been given the
green light from the administration to charge the fees, said Ma Jichao, a
spokesman with the association, on Friday.
Details of the fees would be announced soon on the association's website, he
said, adding that the fee would be collected annually based on the size of the
club.
Licences would be issued to the clubs by the association after fees are paid,
giving them the right to use the music products legally.
Ma's association would pass on the fees to copyright owners, less its daily
expenses.
"Fee collection will raise awareness of intellectual property rights and
protect the interests of music copyright owners," Ma said, adding that those who
refuse to pay could face litigation.
The association was established last December together with the China Music
Copyright Association, which will charge fees on music performed on stage.
According to the China Copyright Collective Management Regulation that came
into effect on March 1 last year, the two associations are authorized by
copyright owners and approved by the National Copyright Administration as legal
organizations to protect copyright.
Song, manager of the Aorui (CN) KTV System Integration Company, said he hoped
the fees would not be too high, the Beijing Times reported.
Song was worried KTV operators might shift part of the cost onto consumers,
making singing in KTV bars a costly form of entertainment.
But Ma said the fees would be charged based on the affordability of customers
in different areas.
Karaoke has been one of the most popular forms of entertainment in China in
the past two decades, and the country has about 100,000 KTV clubs.
But in recent years, frequent lawsuits against KTV clubs over copyright
violations have drawn public attention.
The collection of copyright fees is regarded by many as a solution to the
problem.
In another development, the Ministry of Public Security issued a warrant on
Thursday for two suspects allegedly involved in the production of pirated
VCD/DVD discs.
The ministry offered a reward of 10,000 yuan (US$1,240) for information
leading to the arrest of either of the suspects, both Tianjin residents.
