Copyright Registrations Exceed 2 Million in 2016

China received more than two million new copyright registrations in 2016, an increase of 22.33%, according to official figures revealed by the National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC) on February 21.

In particular, copyright registrations for works and software totaled 1,599,597and 407,774 respectively, with the remaining 327 registrations recorded as pledge. Due to further implementation of national intellectual property strategy and innovation-driven development strategy, copyright awareness of the public got improved and copyright registration work at various registries was moving in the direction of standardization, normalization and informationalization, said an official from NCAC. Copyright registrations kept rapid increase, he added.

According to NCAC statistics, registrations hit 1 million for the first time in 2012, and totaled 1.64 million in 2015. New software copyright registrations in 2016 doubled from 2014 to 400,000. Accordingly, personnel specialized in registration work increased from 35,000 in 2011 to 116,000 in 2016.

“Data show the creativity and innovation of various works and software step into a new phase,” the NCAC official said. NCAC would further improve the service capacity of copyright, regulate registration procedures and improve the quantity and quality of copyright registrations. All efforts exerted are expected to achieve new results in the 13th Five-Year Plan period, bring into play the key role of copyright registration in promoting the development of copyright industry and contribute to the construction of a nation with strong copyright. [Chinese version is available on xinhuanet.com]