Film industry law takes effect, invigorating market
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E-mail Xinhua, March 2, 2017
Punishing wrongs
The "Ip Man 3" case was just the tip of the iceberg, as statistics indicate at least 10 percent of box office takings in China had been fabricated in recent years.
Responding to public concern, the law states that film distributors and theaters falsifying ticket sales data will be liable for administrative punishment, including business suspension, outright bans, and fines up to five times their illegal earnings if such exceed 500,000 yuan.
The protection of intellectual property is also an issue. A quick search through China's social media platforms will turn up pirated movies shared freely on the Internet, with many of the movies still on show in cinemas.
The law explicitly states that those infringing intellectual property rights of films will be punished.
Those engaging in film processing and post-production services for foreign movies with content "damaging China's national dignity, honor and interests, or harming social stability or hurting national feelings," will face punishment, including confiscation of illicit gains, fines and license revocation.
The law was drafted based on China's past experience in the movie industry development, providing solutions to problems plaguing the film market with concrete clauses, according to Wang Chen, vice chairman and secretary-general of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee.
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