On March 31, the National Copyright Administration published the draft Amendment to [the PRC] Copyright Law for public opinion. Articles 46 and 48 thereof triggered heated debate in media and music circles. Recently, Zhou Junwu, a senior partner with JT&N, was interviewed on the international channel of CCTV on this issue and the program was aired on the evening of April 11, 2012.
In the interview, Zhou stated that the Copyright Law should strike a balance between the private rights of the owners of musical works and the needs of the public for culture and entertainment. He suggested the time period provided in Article 46 which must elapse before others may use musical works of first publication for production of sound recordings under some conditions without the permission of the copyright holders should be changed from three months to one year after publication, so as to encourage and support the development of original domestic music.
Mr. Zhou is a legal expert in the entertainment, film, TV and communications industries, and also has extensive experience in the fields of intellectual property rights, M&A, litigation and arbitration.