In recent years, due to the development of new media, such as the Internet, and the impact of piracy, the creative industry has been stifled for the past decade, and the enthusiasm of creators and producers has been dampen. The effective protection of content on the Internet is imperative to the development of the creative industry. When Internet users can copy copyrighted works conveniently through computers without permission, infringers and other Internet service providers (ISPs), including content-storage sites, music search service sites and P2P service providers, can provide assistance and convenience for third-party infringement by providing unlimited free access to music samples and free download service through the Internet, so as to make illegal profit. Therefore, how to reasonably allocate the liabilities amongst different ISPs, so as to protect the legitimate interests of IP owners and ensure the free dissemination of knowledge products online, has become a topic of common concern among experts and scholars.

At the seminar, experts from CODA, Mr. Akimoto Watanabe and Mr. Hiroshi Nagano, introduced the legal measures taken by Japan to tackle the problem of online piracy and their experience in practice. Mr. Zhang Jing, Director of the Department of IP Enforcement in China of the IFPIA, also introduced the relevant data and practice of the IFPIA. Experts and scholars from China and Japan had a heated discussion on the justification and effectiveness of the measures taken by the two countries on the issue of online piracy and increased their mutual understanding on the issue. Experts from both sides all agreed that this was a very meaningful dialogue and hoped that there would be more chance to further discuss this issue, to share their experience and to promote the development of copyright law in both countries in the future.