Neue Copyright-Richtlinie kriminalisiert chinesische User

Gerade bei der EFF gefunden: DMCA for China? A new copyright law would make it an offense in China to „break encryption set by copyright owners“. Bei out-law.com steht wenig detailreiches:

China is drafting its first internet-specific laws to protect copyright on-line for the benefit of copyright owners both in China and abroad. It follows concerns of confusion expressed last month when China’s Supreme People’s Court ruled to extend existing copyright laws to the internet.

Gemeint ist, dass derzeit öffentliche Anhörungen laufen, um das Urheberrecht zu „modernisieren“. Wie erwartet ist das ein Platzhalter für Kriminalisierung der User, die mögliche Abschaffung von Bagatellklauseln, die Strafbewehrung von Privatkopien, wenn dazu ein Kopierschutz überwunden werden muss. Man macht der Contentindustrie also den Hof, und das nennt sich dann „Copyright in the Digital Environment“. Die Anhörungen laufen noch bis Ende April. Ausgangspunkt sind wohl die derzeit geltenden Bestimmungen Hong Kong, nach Ansicht der Industrie total ungeeignet, ihre Interessen zu wahren. Gleiche Rhetorik wie überall.

Bei der South China Morning Post findet sich der Artikel leider nur im kostenpflichtigen Archiv, und nur für Mitglieder. Bei Reed Elsevier gibts den Artikel von Robin Kwong „A Digital Dilemma?“ noch online.

Other measures, which largely mirror the United States‘ Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), include extending copyright protection for materials across different medium, setting statutory damages for copyright infringement, and requiring internet service providers to facilitate enforcement of copyright.
Internet service providers, for example, may be required to keep records of their customers‘ internet activities and to take down infringing copies hosted on their platforms. One suggestion is for service providers to actively filter or block the transfer of infringing copies.
For the creative industries, the review on copyright of digital works is long overdue. But academics have criticised the consultation as being „shockingly one-sided“.

Zitiert wird Michael Geist, Professor für Internet und E-Commerce-Recht an der Uni Ottawa. Besonders die Orientierung am DMCA stößt ihm auf:

„The DMCA is viewed by many as an extreme example of implementing the WIPO [World Intellectual Property Organisation] Internet Treaties. Many countries – including Canada and New Zealand – have begun to distance themselves from the DMCA-style approach,“ Professor Geist said.
„Indeed, the emphasis on enforcement and stronger penalties without any balancing provisions to address the legitimate concerns of Hong Kong citizens is deeply troubling.“ Implementing the proposals would have an „absolutely disastrous“ effect on innovation and creativity, he said. […]
„There is no significant evidence that suggests tougher copyright enforcement will encourage and promote the content industries, particularly not at the local level,“ he said. „Most local content creators have little interest in digital rights management or suing fans. For example, in Canada, many of the best known musicians have formed a group actively opposing P2P lawsuits and DRM use. The proposed policies may benefit foreign-owned entities, but cause real harm to local culture and do little to genuinely promote new creativity and industry.“

UPDATE: Beim Intellectual Property Department sind die originalen Dokumente zu finden.