Strengthen Copyright Protection, Build a Solid Foundation for the Film and Television Industry Development

Securities Times Reporter Wu Zhi

Recently, the popular costume drama “Zhu Yu” has faced serious piracy and infringement issues. This high-cost web series was only broadcast up to episode 30 on the platform, but all 40 HD video files, including the original novel and script, have already been widely circulated on the internet, making these pirated resources easily accessible to viewers.

Coincidentally, last year’s hit drama “Twenty-Four Strategies of Chang’an” had its incomplete episodes leaked before the full HD version was officially released, significantly disrupting the show’s broadcast order and popularity. In 2024, the sequel to the well-known IP “Joy of Life,” “Joy of Life Season 2,” is still in post-production, yet some parties have fabricated fake links to illegal streaming resources, interfering with normal production and broadcast schedules.

Film and television productions are high-investment, long-cycle, high-risk projects. A major film or TV project can take several years from approval to broadcast, during which producers must invest大量人力、资金及相关资源，这些成本都需要在播出后通过广告、会员服务、衍生品、版权二次销售等方式逐步收回。然而，盗版内容的广泛传播，直接动摇这一投入产出模式，冲击行业运作根基。试想，当耗费大量资金制作的剧集轻易被盗版，成本难以收回，还有多少影视企业愿意持续投入？

Anti-piracy has always been a core focus for film and TV companies. To promptly detect infringement, most productions establish content monitoring mechanisms to track infringing links during the broadcast period. However, faced with numerous and rapidly spreading infringing contents, most can only resort to limited measures such as complaints, takedown notices, and public condemnation. Legal action, while effective, faces high costs and long cycles. Often, by the time accountability is pursued, the show has already finished airing, the hype has dissipated, and the actual losses have been incurred.

Serious piracy and infringement not only harm individual companies but also impact the entire industry ecosystem. Improving copyright protection is an urgent necessity. Platform operators such as websites and cloud storage services should fulfill their responsibilities by monitoring, blocking, and deleting pirated content in a timely manner, cutting off infringement at the dissemination stage; industry organizations and associations can provide resources to help establish more efficient, low-cost rights protection mechanisms; law enforcement agencies should investigate piracy clues according to law, quickly initiate cases, and enforce strict penalties. Additionally, efforts should be made to increase penalties for infringement, raising the cost of illegal activities. Especially for egregious violations, a strong deterrent must be established to fundamentally curb piracy and infringement chaos.

(Edited by: Zhang Xiaobo)

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