China vows better copyright protection for music industry

BEIJING - China will act on unauthorized publication and online sharing of music with an system to allow the public to report wrongdoing.

In China, most people have yet to develop the habit of paying for what they listen to and the government is battling piracy of both domestic and overseas music.

Last month, Xiami.com, a major music sharing platform, took down a huge number of tracks after a copyright clean-up on the orders of the National Copyright Administration.

The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) on Wednesday asked music labels to participate in setting industry standards.

A statement released after an SAPPRFT meeting includes a series of goals to improve standard operations in track registration, copyright authentication and paid use of music products before 2020.

One goal is to improve the copyright law to include more articles on piracy. Another supports cooperation between copyright holders and promoters of digital products.

The SAPPRFT estimates that China's music industry will generate 300 billion yuan ($47 billion) by the end of 2020.