The Supreme People's Court (SPC) and the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee have jointly established a coordination mechanism to advance the resolution of copyright disputes. 

The move aims to, through diversified approaches, strengthen efforts in intellectual property rights protection and prevent and resolve copyright-related disputes, with ultimate objectives of safeguarding the rights and interests of copyright holders, upholding an open, fair and just copyright market order, and promoting the high-quality development of copyright-related industries. 

A recent circular jointly released by the two departments emphasized the importance of resolving the disputes under the leadership of the Party committees, and called for establishing and improving the online mediation and litigation coordination mechanism for copyright disputes resolution. 

The circular underlined the need to leverage the unique advantages of such a mechanism, which involves joint work between the SPC and the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, in preventing and resolving copyright disputes effectively, thereby enhancing governance efforts in the domain of copyright. 

The SPC will leverage the mediation platform of the people's courts, while the copyright management division under the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee will guide copyright management departments at all levels, relevant industry organizations, mediation institutions and mediators to smooth out online and offline coordination channels for mediation and litigation, according to the circular. 

The circular added that comprehensive online dispute resolution services, including delegated mediation, mediation via audio and video means, mediation agreement drafting, and litigation-mediation coordination, will be provided. 

The circular made clear the specific work in relation to the online mediation and litigation coordination mechanism for copyright disputes resolution, which include the responsibilities, workflow and mediation team staffing. It also outlined specific requirements for the selection, management, training and guidance of mediation organizations and mediators. 

It also emphasized the need to enhance communication and consultation to promote the establishment of mechanisms for work coordination and information sharing in various regions. 

The performance evaluation and incentive system for mediation teams should be improved and publicity work for diversified dispute resolution efforts needs to be strengthened in order to create an enabling atmosphere for the implementation of the online mediation and litigation coordination mechanism for copyright disputes resolution, the circular said.