China’s Music Sector Urges Baidu Boycott

The Music Copyright Society of China, the China Audio-Video Copyright Association, the IFPI in and an alliance of local and international labels and publishers are calling on all major corporations including the advertising industry, “to support copyright through practical action, and avoid providing any direct or indirect financial support to copyright infringers, but in so doing, also prevent their own brand equity from being misused and diluted by these pirates in any way.”

"It’s reached a point where Baidu’s huge profits at the expense of everyone including local artists and labels is finally getting to everyone. Everyone in China is well aware that Baidu is just using "search" as an excuse to justify its piracy while it has a hand in the stealing for profit business that it’s nicely set up," Asian music watcher Maths comments.

“Resolutely countering Baidu, which is the largest and most
incorrigible purveyor of pirated music in China has become a common goal…

in China. In the meantime, we also realize that in order to establish a healthy business environment it is not enough to depend just on legal means but also through business and administrative initiatives, public opinion and other methods so that eventually we will marginalize and blacklist pirating organizations, ” sates MCSC Director-General Qu Jing Ming.

The statement was also jointly signed and issued by Universal Music Publishing, Warner-Chappell Music, EMI Music Publishing, Linfair Music, Seed Music, Taihe Rye Music, R2G, Zhu Shu Fang Music, Yue Lin Music, Universal Music, Sony BMG and Warner Music. Their combined content covers more than 80% of the total Chinese music market, and a significant portion of international mainstream music.

Since the beginning of 2008, a series of anti-piracy actions has been undertaken respectively by MCSC, Universal Music, Warner Music and Sony BMG against Baidu for piracy. In addition, digital music distribution and licensing company, R2G has also just filed a lawsuit against Baidu at the Beijing Haidian District People’s Court on 16th May 2008 as a consequence of Baidu’s inaction as a response to legal take-down notices with respect to infringing links.