The rapid advance of digital technology presents enormous opportunities for copyright creators as it expands their customer base, lessens distribution costs and almost nullifies territorial barriers. The flipside is that, unless regulated properly, it exposes copyrighted works to the threat of flagrant infringement cross different mediums, including the internet. While copyrighted works have always been susceptible to threats of piracy, the ease with which the internet enables infringement, in a few seconds by a large number of users spread across different jurisdictions, is ominous.
Disclaimer: This article first appeared in the legal publication China Business Law Journal in their October 2014 issue.