Minister Eyes Advanced Legislation for IPR, Cultural Protection

China's Culture Minister said the government is working to advance the legislation for greater protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) and cultural products last Tuesday.

Luo Shugang made the remarks at a national conference on promoting rule of law in cultural sectors.

According to Luo, the ministry is working on legislation for laws on public cultural services, cultural industry promotion and public libraries.

Revision of the law for cultural relic protection is also underway.

The minister pointed out that culture-related IPR protection in China is still insufficient. Violations are conducted at a very low cost and it is difficult for the right holders to collect evidence or defend themselves under the current legal system.

A system for IPR protection in the cultural sector has been established, Luo said, but the awareness of such an issue still needs to be heightened among officials within governmental agencies.

Also, the legal grounds for protection of Chinese folk art is not clear or adequate, the official said.

Legislation and policies in these regards should be improved, he said.

Luo said China currently has three culture-related laws, which cover the protection of copyright, cultural relics and intangible cultural heritages, respectively.

Despite the small number of protection laws, the law and regulation enforcement and professional personnel training also need to be made stronger, he said.