Trung Quốc chấm dứt bản quyền độc quyền âm nhạc

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China’s copyright regulators (các nhà làm luật, nhà quản lý) have banned digital music platforms (nền tảng) from signing exclusive (độc quyền) copyright licensing agreements, except under special circumstances, as the country tightens its grip on market monopoly (độc quyền thị trường).

The National Copyright Administration of China on Thursday said the new rule was devised in the wake of “complicated (phức tạp) copyright issues involving music works” and to “promote a good digital music copyright ecology.” The authority, however, didn’t mention whether the move was part of the broader antitrust (chống độc quyền) clampdown (đàn áp).

The decision comes six years after Chinese authorities banned digital music platforms from distributing unlicensed songs over the infringement of intellectual property rights, which led streaming platforms — including those owned by tech giant Tencent and NetEase — to acquire exclusive music rights to keep existing users and attract new consumers. The three popular streaming platforms operated by Tencent – QQ Music, KuGou Music, and Kuwo Music — hold more than 80% of exclusive music library resources, according to the State Administration for Market Regulation.

“In today’s digital music industry, owning more copyrights means having more songs on (the company’s) platform,” Zhao Zhigong, a Shanghai-based music copyright lawyer, told Sixth Tone. “And consumers would only visit platforms where they have plenty of choice. Those with huge capital to buy copyrights enjoy monopoly power.”

Bài trước: Cách ông Tập phá hỏng Harvard