MIGU, a Chinese video distribution company, had filed a lawsuit for damages against the operator of A, which distributed Japanese dramas, for which MIGU has exclusive distribution rights in China, on the Chinese online platform A without permission. On November 23, 2023, the Beijing Internet Court in China rendered a judgment, based on the statements and evidence, fully admitting the plaintiff’s complaint and ordering the defendant to pay damages and punitive compensation.
With this decision, the certificate of attribution of the rights to the Japanese drama in China issued by CODA Beijing Office was recognized in the civil lawsuit and became effective as evidence of the protection of rights pertaining to Japanese content.
The certificate of attribution issued by the Beijing office was also recognized by the Chinese authorities when they filed administrative charges against “Manga BANK” with the Cultural Market Administration in June 2022 and criminal charges against “B9GOOD” with the Public Security Bureau in February 2023.
If a Chinese distributor is infringed on the rights to Japanese content that it is permitted to distribute in China under an exclusive license, the distributor may be required to prove ownership of the rights when taking countermeasures. CODA Beijing Office has been officially authorized by the National Copyright Administration to operate the work of “Foreign Copyright Authentication Organization,” and has been issuing ” Certificate of Attribution of Rights” to distributors in China since January 2022.
CODA will continue to make every effort to ensure that the certification services and certificates issued by the Beijing office will be more effective, and will actively promote projects to strengthen the protection of rights related to Japanese content.
(translated by automatic translation system)
■Reference：「Beijing Internet Court Civil Judgment (2022) 京0491民初14342 号」
■Reference release：
CODA Beijing Office opened (registration completed in China)–Full-scale operations to begin on January 1, 2022–
https://coda-cj.jp/en/news/187/
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About CODA
CODA (Content Overseas Distribution Association) was established in 2002 at the call of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Agency for Cultural Affairs to promote the overseas development of Japanese content and take anti-piracy measures. Japan’s proud content, including music, movies, anime, broadcast programs, video games, and publishing, plays an important role in enhancing the nation’s international presence and economic growth. As digital technology becomes more widespread, it is even more significant to protect Japan’s content from increasingly artful copyright infringement and promote the content industry’s development. CODA contributes to the deterrence and detection of online and other piracy, by sharing knowledge with relevant government agencies, organizations, and companies in Japan and abroad, to engage in direct and indirect anti-piracy measures, as well as public relations activities. Visit https://coda-cj.jp/en/activity/ for more information on CODA’s projects.