High-Level Round Table on Copyright and Film held in Shanghai, China

June 25, 2015

2015 marks the 120th anniversary of the birth of film and the 110th anniversary of the making of the first Chinese film. For the purpose of promoting the  Beijing Treaty and other WIPO-administered copyright and related rights treaties, WIPO and the National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC) jointly organized a High-Level Round Table on the Cultural and Economic Importance of Film and the Role of Copyright on June 15 and 16 in Shanghai (China).  The round table featured as one of the most important events at the 18th Shanghai International Film Festival.

Ms. Binying WANG, Deputy Director General at WIPO; Mr. Cike YU, Director General of the Copyright Department at NCAC; Mr. Jiong XU, Director General of the Shanghai Copyright Office; and Mr. Wei WANG, Deputy Secretary General of the Organization Committee of the Shanghai International Film Festival attended the round table and delivered speeches.

More than 150 participants were present, including representatives from Bahrain, Colombia, Ghana, Japan, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam. Speakers from UKIPO, USPTO, MPA, and CISAC were joined by officials from local government, WIPO headquarters and the WIPO China Office, as well as by representatives of Chinese academia and the film industry. Participants shared their views on the cultural and economic significance of copyright protection to the development of film industries. Active discussions took place on both the challenges and the opportunities presented by copyright protection in the film industry in particular.