China Ratifies Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances
On 24 April 2014, the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances was ratified by China at the 8th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress of China.
The treaty, comprising 30 articles, was adopted in June 2012 at a diplomatic conference of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) held in Beijing. As a multilateral treaty regulating copyright for audiovisual performances and expanding the rights of performers in an international framework, it grants performers the rights for both offline and online exploitation of their performances, including the right of rental and the right of broadcasting and communication to the public in digital form in audiovisual media, such as TV, film and video. It also recognises performers' moral rights, that is, the right to be identified, and the right to object to distortions of their performances.
To date, the treaty has been signed by 72 members of WIPO including China, signifying their preliminary endorsement. However, the treaty will not enter into force until it is ratified or acceded by at least 30 eligible countries or intergovernmental organizations. And China is, after Syria and Botswana, the third country to ratify the treaty.
