China's revised copyright law tougher on infringement

A man chooses books at a bookstore in Beijing, capital of China, April 21, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Jing)

BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- China's revised Copyright Law will take effect on June 1, increasing the ceiling for statutory damages from 500,000 yuan (around 78,515 U.S. dollars) to 5 million yuan.

For intentional infringement in serious circumstances, punitive damages shall be applied at a value at least equal to damages but no more than five times that amount, according to the revised law.

It also changes the current wording of "cinematographic works and works created in a way similar to cinematography" to "audiovisual works," thus expanding the scope of copyright protection.