In decisions dated August 12, 2025 and August 22, 2025 from the Guangdong and Chongqing High People’s Courts, respectively, Tencent was awarded 89.1 million RMB in total in two copyright infringement cases against short video app Kuaishou. Users had repeatedly posted clips of two shows: Deyun Laughter Club (德云斗笑社) and Lost You Forever (长相思) with the latter receiving over 8.6 billion views.
Category: Copyright
Beijing Internet Court: Digital Avatars are Works of Art and Protected by Copyright
On August 18, 2025, the Beijing Internet Court announced a decision that the digital avatars are works of art and qualify for copyright protection. Avatars A and B were jointly produced by four entities, including plaintiff Ju XX Company and plaintiff Yuan XX Company. Plaintiff Ju XX Company is the copyright holder, while plaintiff Yuan XX Company is responsible for operations. Avatar A has over 4.4 million followers across various platforms and was named one of the eight hottest events …
China’s Ministry of Public Security Announces the Issuance of “Opinions on Combating Intellectual Property Crimes in Accordance with the Law to Serve High-Quality Development”
On July 16, 2025, China’s Ministry of Public Security (PSB) announced the release of the “Opinions on Combatting Intellectual Property Crimes in Accordance with the Law to Serve High-Quality Development” (关于依法打击知识产权犯罪服务高质量发展的意见) although no copy appears to be publicly available. Simultaneously, the PSB also released “Five Typical Cases of Public Security Organs Combatting Intellectual Property Crimes in Accordance with the Law to Serve High-Quality Development” (公安机关依法打击知识产权犯罪服务高质量发展的5起典型案例) including an economic espionage case involving an unnamed foreign country.
Nintendo Only Awarded 200,000 RMB in Copyright Infringement Case Despite 500,000+ Infringing Game Consoles Sold
On July 8, 2025, the Jiangsu High Court announced a verdict in favor of Nintendo against an unnamed defendant in a copyright infringement case. The defendant sold over 500,000 “Single-Player Red and Blue” retro game consoles priced at 78 RMB with 14 pre-installed infringing games (out of 500 games) and another 10,000+ “Premium Octagonal Gift Box” game consoles priced at 178 RMB with 16 pre-installed infringing games (out of 500 games). The Court award Nintendo 200,000 RMB (about $28,000 USD) …