collecting societies had been established, on the South Korean model.
58.
We challenged this thinking, pointing out that the existing system could expand under Berne without the need for Government involvement in every aspect of copyright, though we welcomed the effort that was being put into education. We pointed out that the highly developed system of copyright protection in the UK had evolved organically under the framework of copyright laws establishing private rights. We saw no reason why domestic and international developments could not proceed side by side.
59. The Chinese noted our remarks but observed that the Government would have to take account of currency outflows; even Japan had a negative balance of payments in copyright- based transactions. They stressed however that these were personal views: the policy would be decided in Beijing.
60.
The remainder of the session was devoted to questions from the Chinese about details of the UK and international systems of copyright protection.
VISITS TO SHANGHAI SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL PUBLISHERS, AND SHANGHAI AUDIO-VISUAL PRESS
61. These are state-owned bodies with a pronounced public- service ethos (many of their products are designed to meet the requirements of the educational system and are loss-making). They claim however to use market research techniques to establish public demand for more popular titles and to supply this market on a commercial basis. They did not regard commercial piracy (of Chinese works) as a significant problem within China but private off-air video recording was beginning to cause difficulties.
62. They already had commercial relationships with foreign authors and publishers and expected this side of their business to increase with the advent of copyright protection for foreign works: some foreign publishers had been reluctant to enter into contractual relationships in the absence of such protection. Foreign audio-visual rights were presently obtained though an agency in Hong Kong but Shanghai Audio- visual Press would be interested in acquiring rights directly from foreign copyright owners.
JP BRITTON February 1991
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