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Video sharing site fined $42m for copyright infringement [China Daily: Hong Kong Edition](China Daily: Hong Kong Edition Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) SHENZHEN - Chinese video sharing site QVOD was ordered on Thursday to pay a fine of 260 million yuan ($41.8 million) over copyright infringement. Shenzhen QVOD Technology Co., Ltd. should pay the fine within 15 days of receiving the administrative punishment or be charged a late fee of 3 percent of the fine for each day, said Fang Canyu, a law enforcement officer with the Shenzhen Market Supervision Administration. The firm should pay the fine first even though it can apply for an administrative review within 60 days or file a lawsuit within three months, Fang said. The hefty fine is three times the illegal earnings QVOD made by violating others' information network transmission rights, according to the administrative ruling. The imposition of hefty fines has proved to be very effective in curbing copyright infringement cases, said Zeng Raodong, head of the laws and regulations department under the Shenzhen Market Supervision Administration. The punishment was given days after a hearing on June 17. QVOD streamed 24 films and TV dramas even though it was fully aware or should have known that third-party video websites infringe copyright, Fang said. The company, founded in 2007, used to offer pirated and pornographic videos with peer-to-peer video streaming technology. Its user base quickly grew to 300 million. In early April, however, the company shut its QVOD (quasi video on demand) servers after the National (c) 2014 China Daily Information Company. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info). |