According to the second member conference of the China Audio-Video Copyright Association held January 25, karaoke royalties, resulting from the protection of an important part of intellectual property rights (IPR) since 2007, have harvested a total of 170 million yuan of royalties during the 3 years.

Wang Huapeng, the association's vice president and director general, said that since the payment of karaoke royalties came into effect in 2007, the consciousness of protecting copyrights has increased among karaoke bar operators, and the number of people who pay royalties is increasing.

Only 6.26 million yuan of royalties was paid in 2007, which grew to 46.78 million yuan and 67.78 million yuan in 2008 and in the first 3 quarters of 2009 respectively. This time, 120 million yuan of royalties is available for allocation. By the end of the 3rd quarter of 2009, the association has granted the audio-video copyright license to 3,000 karaoke bars.

Lu Wenju, the association's deputy director-general, said that although China has made some achievements in protecting karaoke copyrights, the proportion of people who paid royalties is still low. The consciousness of protecting copyrights and respecting the legal rights and interests of copyright holders among karaoke bar operators needs further improvement.
                                                                                     Source: People's Daily Online