iQIYI reiterates IP protection commitment
November 8, 2021
By Colin Mann
Chinese online entertainment service iQIYI has reiterated its commitment to IP protection through technological innovation. Presenting virtually at the Intellectual Property Protection and Business Environment Optimization forum held as part of 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE), Gong Yu, Founder and CEO of iQIYI, expressed his wish for more regulatory guidance on IP protection. “Piracy harms the film and television industry. It dampens the passion of creators and stalls the long-term development of the industry,” Gong remarked, adding that “more international cooperation on IP protection will also facilitate technological innovation.”
The forum discussed the efforts and achievements of China in enhancing intellectual property protection and optimising business environment. At the forum, Gong highlighted the progress China had witnessed in recent years on reducing pirated content in the traditional sense, i.e., directly or indirectly uploading copyrighted content to unauthorised platforms. However, Gong also noted that new forms of piracy—such as through commenting and recreating copyrighted content—are gradually emerging. Using the Super Sketch Show released on October 15th as an example, Gong said over 11,000 pirated copies of the show are now online.
Gong praised the National Copyright Administration (NCA) and other government agencies for leading the effort in reducing piracy. Gong observed that ever since the streaming industry first participated in the NCA-led effort several years ago, the company saw first-hand how the anti-piracy campaign has promoted the sustainable growth of the film and TV industry. Gong further emphasised the importance of building an efficient IP protection mechanism going forward, encouraging the industry partners to play an even more active role in the efforts to combat piracy, as the industry strives to achieve end-to-end protection through technological innovations such as blockchain and Digital Rights Management (DRM).