China’s social media are experiencing heated discussions over news that a well-known fansub group, “Renren film and television subtitle group,” one of the most watched video sites for Chinese audiences to binge-watch overseas TV shows, has been padlocked by police over copyright infringement.
The group has been providing unauthorized film and TV shows obtained from overseas pirate forums to Chinese viewers, Shanghai police announced at a press briefing on Wednesday.
It hired teams to translate the TV shows or films at 400 yuan ($61.92) per episode, uploaded them to its app and websites, and gained illegal profits by collecting website membership and advertising fees, the police said. Over 20,000 episodes of TV shows have been uploaded, 16 million yuan was involved, and 14 people were arrested.
Zeng Jia, a professor at the Intellectual Property Institute of Law School of Northwest University, told the Global Times that the group is suspected of illegally releasing the translations of TV series and films without obtaining authorization or permission from copyright owners. The release of the films also failed to get the approval of authorities.
The suspects face a prison term of up to seven years based on current Chinese regulations on copyrights,You Yunting, senior partner and intellectual property attorney at Shanghai Debund Law Offices, told the Global Times,noting that they were engaged in copyright infringement.
The news raised an internet sensation, sparking discussions over the access to overseas resources and protection of intellectual property.
Many Chinese netizens regard Renren group, which was first established as “YYeTs subtitle group,” as a window through which they could access overseas TV and films and understand overseas culture.
“I pay tribute to the people who helped us open the door to the world,” a Chinese netizen said.
Some also showed their sympathy for the group and lamented its closure as a “loss,” calling for access to more overseas TV and films resources.
The group, however, also faced criticism, as it was found to have put ads in the episodes, sold hard disks containing illegally obtained video resources and sold memberships to users.
Subtitle groups like Renren opened a window for young people in China decades ago when overseas films or TV shows seldom came to China. They let the young generation learn new storytelling skills which are more attractive, and then improve the quality of domestic works in recent years, Zhang Peng, an associate professor at the Nanjing Normal University, told the Global Times.
“However, such a model and behavior are illegal, and we need to respect copyrights and improve people’s awareness of intellectual property protection,” Zhang said, noting that the efforts on intellectual property rights of overseas works will win respect for China in this field and help China protect China-made works overseas.
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