China Concerned About Internal Copyright Infringers

sfled writes "Audience members at a recent movie preview had ID card numbers stamped on their theater tickets, were videotaped entering the lobby, and had to part with cellphones, watches, lighters, etc. as they passed through a metal detector. Why the big fuss? Because China's movie makers, artists and other creators of intellectual property are finally realizing that China's content-piracy industry doesn't just target imported movies, music, etc. Story at The New York Times, "free" registration, etc..."

Comments

Re:you won't hear me crying

[Mmmrky]

This is been covered many, many times before, but:

1. If I pirate a movie I gain a movie (surprise!). Net change in company's revenue: 0.

2. I don't buy or pirate movie. I gain no movie, and company gets nothing.

3. I steal a physical copy (DVD) from company. Net gain for me: 1 movie. Net loss to company: cost of producing said DVD.

4. I buy the movie. I get a movie. They get my money.

Pirating (not that I endorse it) only causes a real loss if you would buy it if you couldn't get it illegally.

This will be great.

[fmaxwell]

Now the average, urban, Chinese person (who has a yearly income of about $800) can stop buying cheap pirated movies and can, instead, spend a week's wages to buy a commercial video. That is, provided he/she was not planning to squander that money on food, clothing, or shelter.

Those living in rural areas, where the per-capita income is about 1/3 that will just have to sell a family member into slavery if they really want that video.

Maybe before whining about the evil Chinese pirating videos and software, you should consider what their incomes are compared to ours.

Most pirates aren't Chinese

[NewsWatcher]

I was waiting for the inevitable Chinese people don't care about piracy, everything from fake watches to Windows are available in the streets of Hong Kong.
Does it not seem weird that most people here defend KaZaA et al as an opportunity to distribute material, but point an angry finger when Chinese people make copies of US films?

Just because they steal with a camera, and you steal with software doesn't make you any less of a pirate.

So lets get off the anti-Asian rants and show a bit of consistency. Either both are bad, or both are a chance for artists to reach an audience they otherwise would not.
Of course, IMHO they are both pretty insidious.
Has the intellectual moral high-ground stopped me downloading? Umm....I best not answer that.

Re:you won't hear me crying

[Henry V .009]

3rd - depriving of profit is not "stealing"- it's depriving of profit.

Points 1 and 2 are right on, but I have to disagree with the above.

Our society gives authors and creators a sort of 'implied contract'; they create, and we grant them copyright. Sure, no one signs anything, but none of us signed the constitution (which grants copyright authority to Congress) either. There are certain social obligations that everyone is bound to, whether or no they agree. In effect, you (through your legal institutions) have promised copyright, and in return the author has created something. Once the goods have been delivered, you are at least somewhat obligated to fulfill your side of the deal. Breaking this social contract is slightly different than merely depriving a corporation of profit. You can't give the author back their lost effort. On the other hand, I deprive McDonalds of profit every time I drive by their shitty restaurant and thank god that I'm not stopping.

Just a preview, probably not standard practice

[George Walker Bush]

This is a movie PREVIEW, and normally security is indeed stricter at such events, just like here in the US.

Yet, once the movie hits the theaters as a actual release to the masses, forget about "security". Heck, we don't even have such "security" here in the US. And most pirate jobs are inside ones (the guy in the projection booth himself is the one doing the camcorder recording). With the corruption in China, one can only expect such things to be even more prevalent. And once a single copy gets out, that's all it takes.

Security was not so tight

[grainofsand]

I attended this screening in Shenzhen and did not notice any of the security measures reported in the article.

I had to hand over my mobile phone but that was it.

I didn't see anyone openly vidcaming the movie, but pirate DVD copies of Hero are readily available in Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing for about 7 Chinese yuan (US$0.80).

Fledgeling?

[jesterzog]

There are more than a billion people in China. On what basis do you consider the Chinese movie industry "fledgeling"? Is it the fact that you never see any?

I guess you probably consider the Indian movie industry as fledgeling too, for the same reasons.