Jazzeast

Today, the heads of the international recording industry arrived in Brussels to discuss with Peter Mandelson, an EU Trade Commissioner, the industry’s serious problem regarding music piracy, as well as the market access problems they are facing when doing business in China.

China has a big promise for the European record companies’ music sales, however its market got only €56 million in last year’s trade revenues. The delegation of the record industry told Commissioner Mandelson that its potential will only be accomplished if the big problem about China’s Internet piracy, which estimated to be 99% in the overall digital market, could be resolved.

The heads present in today’s meeting with Mandelson are: Dramatico Entertainment chairman Mike Batt; EMI Music International chairman and CEO JF Cecillon; Sony BMG Music Entertainment chief operating officer Tim Bowen; IFPI chairman and CEO John Kennedy; and Universal Music Group International president and Asia Pacific executive VP marketing and A&R Max Hole. The organisations mentioned represent the recording industry around the world.

Before the EU-China Summit on 28 November in Beijing, wherein online piracy would be one of the agenda, the heads of the recording industry summarised to Commissioner Mandelson the problems they are facing in building businesses in China.

John Kennedy, IFPI chairman & CEO, said, "When the recording industry tries to defend its copyrights against online piracy in China, it is blocked by a combination of heavy procedural rules, woefully low levels of damages and injunctions too narrow to prevent ongoing infringement. Chinese law has simply not kept pace with the explosion of online piracy.”