This year marks the 100th anniversary of the promulgation of the Copyright Code of Great Qing Dynasty for hundreds of years, and with the great changes in China’s society, the rules of copyright law have passed through a unique history and formed its own tradition, which has been scored with vicissitudes. This year is also the 20th anniversary of the Copyright Law of the People’s Republic of China. Over the past 20 years, the copyright protection system of New China, has grown from nothing, and matured. Additionally, the copyright law system, which not only conforms to the national conditions, but also meets international regulations, has been established, defining the copyright protection system with Chinese characteristics by adopting a dual way of using administrative safeguards with judicial protection.

Professor Liu Chuntian, the professor and dean of the Intellectual Property Academy, Renmin University of China, said “The development of modern copyright law is closely related to history; meanwhile, the traditional thought and traditional culture have profound effects on the future development. Only by being well versed in history, can we get a clear understanding of today and predict the future. Therefore, sorting out and summarizing the historical development of China’s copyright law not only has a long-term significance on economy, politics and law, but has a great cultural valve as well.”