Global Times interview Chief Lawyer Xu Xinming:ACG sites delete videos

The decision by China's two most popular Animation, Comic and Game (ACG) websites to remove most of the TV series and films uploaded by users was hailed by experts as a progress in intellectual property rights (IPR) in the country.

Bilibili, one of the most visited ACG websites in China, on Wednesday night removed most of its TV series and films, while its peer AcFun closed its whole page for TV series and films, the Beijing-based IT website zol.com.cn reported.

According to zol.com.cn, most of the removed TV series and films are from overseas. A small part of Chinese TV series and films are removed as well.

Bilibili explained on Thursday on Weibo that to ensure that the contents on the website are in accordance with law and regulation, it would review TV dramas and films uploaded by users.

During the review, some videos cannot be accessed, and after that, the unlicensed videos would be removed, and the approved ones will be uploaded again, said Bilibili.

On Bilibili and AcFun websites, individual users could upload videos, including animations, films and TV series to their own accounts.

"All the Japanese TV series I bookmarked, from family dramas to costume dramas, have been removed," said Bilibili user surnamed Zhang.

Another Bilibili user said that even some rarely watched Dutch, Swedish and German films she uploaded were also removed.

"Bilibili has removed all the series," Tianfu Thai Drama, a fansub group translating TV series and shows of Thailand, posted on its Weibo account.

Almost all the dramas the group uploaded on Bilibili have been removed. The group has more than 712,000 followers on Bilibili.
But the group also told its followers to download the subtitled dramas they worked on from their WeChat platform.

The move by the websites has caused heated discussions online. The hashtag "Bilibili remove" has garnered more than 7.8 million views by press time.

"It is actually a good trend that online platforms have begun to get a sense of respect and are more regulated," said Xu Xinming, a Beijing-based lawyer specializing in IPR.

Xu also noted that such livestreaming websites could commercialize the operation by buying the copyrights and charging users for viewing.

A statement posted on the website of China's TV and film watchdog in June said that some websites, including Sina Weibo and AcFun, had not obtained the administration's license for audio-visual services, and published content about politics and public affairs against the government rules, as well as other content that have negative commentary.