The Pathway Towards Digital Superpower: Copyright Reform in China

After going through four drafts and several consultations in the past decade, the Third Amendment of Copyright Law was finally adopted in China on 11 November 2020. The new Copyright Law will come into effect on 1 June 2021. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the major changes in the Third Amendment, including originality, copyright subject matter, scope of exclusive rights, copyright collective management organisations, digital rights management, and remedies. In addition, this paper discusses unsolved issues in the Third Amendment ‒ namely orphan works and those associated with artificial intelligence technologies ‒ for future copyright reform. By examining the amended provisions in the Third Amendment, this paper illustrates the multiple purposes underlying China’s recent copyright reform.