April 23 was World Book and Copyright Day. It was chosen by the U.N. because it coincided with the birth or death of some of the world's most famous and influential writers, including: William Shakespeare, Vladimir Nabokov, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Haldor Kiljan Laxness, and Maurice Druon to mention a few.

The purpose of this annual celebration is to underscore the importance that books and stories play in human culture and life. Books are a way to learn about other cultures. They also unify past and present and provide a glimpse into the future.  

The day also acknowledges the importance of copyright laws evolved to protect writers and creators of copyrightable materials. 

With so many people isolated at home as a result of COVID-19, the day is especially significant this year as a way of encouraging people to use their time wisely by reigniting the joy and passion for reading and learning.  

In China, the National Library of China listed on its website a host of various activities, resources and events marking this special day, including teaming with the Beijing Media Network in the broadcast of the prestigious Wenjin Book award.  

As part of World Book and Copyright day, UNESCO and various international organizations also select a "World Book Capital." This year, it is Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia, selected because of its emphasis on inclusive education for a knowledge-based economy and empowerment of children through reading.  

Achieving the appropriate level of copyright protection remains challenging for the global community. Copyright is the most fundamental and prominent of all the intellectual property rights relevant to the Internet. This is because its content is largely a compilation of information comprising individual words, stories and literature in general, sound, image, games, multimedia works, podcasts and more.

Copyright laws determine the rules about ownership, licensing, use, re-use, distribution, etc of all such content. Most of this material is available for downloading and, because it is digital, a copy is indistinguishable from the original. Moreover, in the Internet age, it is easier than ever for anyone to become an author and distributor of their creations electronically.

The law of copyright and the principles guiding it, however, were developed in a pre-digital age. Many ask whether copyright with its focus on monopoly, control and restriction is suitable for a global technological movement that seeks freedom of information, easily accessible and available, rather than being monopolized by powerful commercial interests seeking to extract a fee every time the information is used and thus impede the spread of knowledge as well as innovation, especially when someone wants to "mash" or "recreate" new works.  

Accordingly, new intellectual property regimes have evolved such as the Open Source Movement and Creative Commons, which make the work available to all with few restrictions. Defenders of copyright stress that the system has lasted for centuries and has proven to be robust and adaptable.  

However, there are a few issues to be handled in this new age.

• How can copyright cope with a digital environment?

• What "works" should receive copyright protection?

• How long should protection last?

• How can copyright best be enforced?

• How do we increase awareness of copyright laws?

• Do we need to have specialized Intellectual Property Law Courts as China has done?

• How do we address the special needs and interests of particular groups such as: developing countries, the disabled; those with little or no access to the Internet, etc?

• How does copyright law cope with cultural differences? In the East, intellectual property is deeply intertwined with culture. In China, historically IP is not regarded as it is in the West, in the same individualistic terms as a commodity to be monetized. There is a cultural value in copying that is not seen as something wrong. Indeed, one should copy from the masters.

• What about the commercial exploitation by Facebook and other social media platforms which take content from news and other organizations?

• What about the intersection between privacy and copyright? People are concerned that big tech companies take their individual information and commercialize it.  

• How does copyright law cope with the reality that new forms of digital works (e.g. digital storage systems and databases, software, computer games) are being created constantly and new technologies are emerging (e.g. 3D printing, creation of works by robots, etc)?

• How can copyright laws be enforced across national borders?

• How do we best balance the tensions between copyright protection, promotion of competition and fostering of innovation?

Eugene Clark is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/eugeneclark.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn.

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