Chinese Writers Call for On-line Protection Rights

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, January 04, 2002

Chinese Writers Call for On-line Protection Rights

Zhe Fu, known in China for his novels on environmental protection, is going to take a website owner to court when the latter breaks the three-year contract on online novel publishing between them and is unwilling to pay any compensation.

"It is not a matter of money as the whole Internet industry is at a low ebb, but it is for the protection of my rights," the writer said.

Personal homepage gone nowhere

Zhe Fu, known in China for his novels on environmental protection, was the first Chinese writer to publish his work on the Internet by signing a contract with a local website.

To his surprise, the writer recently found that his personal homepage on the website had gone nowhere. He later learned that his page had been replaced by a commercial page due to the merger of two companies who reorganized their businesses and closed down some of the homepages without any prior notice to the owners.

The website has broken its three-year contract with the writer but is unwilling to pay any compensation for the illegal closure of the personal homepage.

Zhe Fu was enraged and has decided to take the website owner tocourt. "It is not a matter of money as the whole Internet industryis at a low ebb, but it is for the protection of my rights," he said.

Writers' support for Zhe Fu

At a national meeting of the Chinese Writers Association convened here not long ago, many participants showed their sympathy and support for Zhe Fu.

In fact, Zhe Fu is not the first and nor the last to have his rights infringed on line. Many writers told Xinhua that they are also victims of illegal activities.

Zhang Xianliang, a writer known for novels based on his experience in the western region, said that all the reporters he meets tell him they have read his works on line, but so far, Zhanghas only authorized a website to publish two of his novels.

Liu Heng, another well-known writer, showed his strong support for Zhe Fu. "Any party to a contract who has infringed the rights of the other party must be punished," he said.

Profile: Zhe Fu, A Chinese Environmentalist, Writer

Among the thousands of Chinese writers, Zhe Fu, the pen name of Sun Zhijian, is somewhat unique.

As one of the few environmentalist writers in the country, the 46 year-old man has been working hard to call for greater concerns about environmental issues among the public by writing novels and dramas. (More)

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