Movie verdict boost for online industry

The Beijing Internet Court's ruling in a case involving popular 1986 cartoon movie Calabash Brothers was made public on Tuesday.

In a television program produced jointly by the Anhui Broadcasting Corporation and 3C Media, and broadcast in March 2016, some dancers had dressed like the characters in the movie while dancing to a song from the movie.

Even the name of the program, "Calabash brother Wong Cho Lam changed his voice", raised eyebrows and Hong Kong actor Wong Cho Lam was cast in the show. On Wednesday, Wong's studio came to his defense saying Wong did not play any character from the movie in the show and some on social networking sites had used wrong pictures in their reports.

The case triggered serious discussions online. The popularity of Calabash Brothers is unmatched by today's standards, the reason why its popularity was exploited online.

The court ruled that the two companies had violated the plaintiff's right to spread their work online. Although the internet has made it convenient to spread information, it has raised the risk of copyright violations, as it is easier to copy and paste content now.

Some argue that having strict copyright rules might harm the development of the internet. On the contrary, it will encourage people to create more original content. And those who must copy and paste content, would do well to pay the copyright owner, who will then be motivated to create even better content.

Many also worry that stricter copyright laws could mean people getting caught for the minutest of violations. However, such fears are uncalled for as only those who make profit by copying content will be treated as violators. People can still dress up as one of the Calabash Brothers－so long as they don't make money from it.