Fri, 08/01/2008 - 19:50
China tightens supervision of cartoons, comics and online games
Beijing. August 1. INTERFAX-CHINA - The State Council recently amended the responsibilities, organizational structure and staffing of the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) so as to strengthen its supervision over cartoons, comics and online games, state media reported Aug. 1.
A China Press and Publishing Journal report said that GAPP will be responsible for administering the publication of cartoons and comics, and for examining and approving domestic online games before they go on the market, as well as overseas Internet games before they may be operated in China.
At the same time, the Ministry of Culture (MC) will be responsible for mapping out development plans, organizing exhibitions and expos and supervising the cartoon, comic and online game markets.
According to the report, GAPP will be in charge of approving the establishment of cartoon and comic presses and publishing houses, and monitoring the publication of cartoon newspapers, magazines, video and audio products, e-publications and online publications.
The ministry will also check the content of cartoons and comics imported to China, crack down on "illegal" publications, and be in charge of the management of intellectual property rights (IPR) of cartoons and comics.
Wang Hongming, an analyst with the China Cartoon Industry Forum, told Interfax that the reshuffling of responsibilities was due to previous inefficiencies in overseeing such entertainment industries.
Wang said that in the past, the responsibilities of overseeing the content of the cartoon, comic and online game industries were shared by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), the MC and GAPP.
Some of the responsibilities overlapped, and some were unclear or vaguely defined, which resulted in unsatisfactory and inefficient oversight. The market was flooded by pirated products, and young people read "improper and unhealthy" content, Wang said.
Wang said that once the industries are better supervised and the responsibilities more clearly defined, the government will more efficiently censor products with "unsuitable content", and will also give domestic products more of an opportunity to enter the market.
Wang said GAPP's new responsibilities emphasize online games because they are part of a social culture that has a strong influence on youth, so the government believes it is important to lead the development of the industry.
A recent iResearch report said that the country's online game market was worth RMB 12.8 billion ($1.87 billion) in 2007, up 66.7 percent year-on-year, and is expected to hit RMB 40.1 million ($5.86 billion) in 2011.
In China, all media is subject to restrictions and self-censorship to prevent sensitive political content as well as content deemed "unhealthy" by the authorities, such as violence or sex.
GAPP is authorized by the State Council to examine and approve domestic companies that want to enter China's online gaming industry. All companies that wish to do so must obtain a license from GAPP before applying for ISP (Internet Service Providers) licenses or publishing and operating online games.
GAPP has stated its duties include fostering the cartoon industry, cracking down on illegal publication and online game ID thefts, protecting IPR and building a program to encourage players from spending too much time on online gaming.
-CG
