A Move to Strengthen IP Protection
South Korean game developers have been suffering from “fake game content” in the Chinese market. Thus far they have had no choice but to stage legal battles to protect their intellectual property (IP). Recently, the Chinese government has come up with a measure to strengthen protection of IP, encouraging domestic game companies to push into the Chinese market.
According to industry sources on August 2, the Chinese government has launched the Intellectual Property Copyright Identifier (IPCI) platform. It is a new IP registration system designed by the China Cultural Media Group under China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism to protect and supervise IP more efficiently.
Cultural content developers are now required to register their products, such as games, films and webtoons, with the IPCI platform in order to officially provide services in China. This also includes overseas IP. When content is registered with the IPCI platform, detailed information about it is available at any time on the official IPCI website.
IP is important in the gaming industry because it can be an effective marketing tool. When a company develops a game content using popular IP, it is highly likely to put up a good show. Foreign companies have recently entered the South Korean market to shop for game IP. They are planning to sell their products on their own by purchasing the latest game IP in the domestic market.
Given the current situation, it is meaningful that China has taken a step to strengthen protection of IP rights. Wemade Entertainment Co., which has been engaged in a long legal battle with China’s Shanda Games Ltd. over the IP rights on the Legend of Mir, a popular game in China, will become the first Korean company to register its IP with the IPCI platform. Through IP registration with the IPCI platform, it seeks to win recognition as the official window for the IP rights of the Legend of Mir series.
In addition, the company will be able to jointly impose sanctions against illegal copyrights with China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism.