Chapter 391 Shaking each other
"The establishment of anti-piracy alliances initiated by rights holders is nothing new."
"Previously, large and small anti-piracy alliances were spread all over the country. For example, the Jingban 15th Society Anti-piracy Alliance and the Chinese Online Anti-piracy Alliance were vigorous when they were first established, and the whirlwind of rights protection was unstoppable."
"In just a few years, most of these alliances, large and small, have disappeared, and there are only a few left, and they are becoming increasingly silent."
"Whether the China Online Video Anti-Piracy Alliance's rights protection will be as popular as other alliances in the past, I am afraid it is not optimistic."
"First, the difficulty faced by the Online Video Anti-Piracy Alliance is first of all the lack of mass base. Although everyone agrees that maintaining genuine copies is a just act, netizens are still full of feelings for suspected piracy video websites in private. In an era when piracy is rampant, Many people have had the experience of buying pirated CDs.”
"With the development of the Internet, downloading pirated videos has gradually become a trend... When the American drama "Prison Break" was on the air, the Chinese subtitle group created a scene of almost simultaneous translation and transmission of new episodes."
"It also makes "Prison Break", which has never been released in mainland China, have a large number of fans in China. So much so that "Prison Break" star Miller, who is nicknamed 'Mi Shuai' by fans, was invited by domestic manufacturers to endorse. Perhaps 'Mi Shuai' Shuai' first wants to thank the "Chinese subtitle group" for their hard and selfless work, secondly, he would like to thank the major video download software providers, and finally, of course, he would like to thank those video websites for their widespread dissemination. Without their efforts, there would not be today's. Mi Shuai'."
"Secondly, in addition to popular support, online video piracy also has a legal 'protective umbrella'. The low amount of compensation for online infringement, difficulty in obtaining evidence, and the safe harbor principle provide the soil for breeding piracy. This is also another problem faced by the Online Video Anti-Piracy Alliance. Problem. Piracy is also a helpless move for video websites. They have to bear huge expenses every month, and the website lacks profit methods. It is also very difficult to insist on genuine videos. Firstly, it costs a lot of money, and secondly, it is unapproved videos. It cannot be introduced and it is difficult to gain popularity.”
"The above two problems will not change in the short term. Therefore, although Sohu formed a huge anti-piracy alliance this time and started a massive rights protection action. However, in the face of piracy websites with strong mass base and strong fortress, they still have It can be said that there are many difficulties. The litigation process may become slow and complicated, and the cost of litigation will increase day by day, and the amount of compensation is bound to be unsatisfactory. It may be the fate of the anti-piracy alliance to become silent.”
Qin Shaoyan looked at the article in his hand and couldn't help but marvel, "What a talent! The angle in which this article was written is so tricky."
It’s really hard for people who work in journalism these days without a couple of brushes to make it, and they’re not on the same level as the trash that will only copy and paste in future generations.
Look at what they wrote in this article. The angle chosen really surprised Qin Shaoyan.
Of course, the article ended with a bit of respect, criticizing piracy as bad and damaging to the interests of film and television producers.
Will netizens care about this?
It’s impossible, okay,
They generally believe that piracy is justified because it can bring free spiritual food, entertain the public, and spread culture.
The whole article seems to express its support for anti-piracy, and it seems reasonable.
But this is not the focus of the entire article at all. The previous large paragraphs have already exposed the purpose of this article.
It just means that netizens do not support anti-piracy. Anti-piracy is difficult, and it is not easy for video websites. Anyway, the alliance will not last long.
The most embarrassing thing is that the article takes "Prison Break" as an example, saying that without the efforts of the subtitle group and piracy websites, this American TV series and its starring actors would not be so popular in China.
This is one of the most popular excuses used by pirates.
I do piracy to help you spread your influence. Without my help, you wouldn’t be so popular. We help each other.
What's more, even if you go to court, you won't get much money if you win, so why should you be so serious about it?
This is also the most difficult part of anti-piracy. Rights protection is difficult, costly and low-income.
On the contrary, piracy is a low-cost, high-yield thing.
Zhang Chaoyang, who was sitting next to him, had a displeased look on his face and said angrily: "Mr. Qin, you have seen it. These pirates still think they are justified. They are challenging us!"
"This is no longer an ordinary peer, we must strike hard!"
Qin Shaoyan nodded with a smile on his face, "It's just an article. It won't achieve anything, so Mr. Zhang doesn't need to care."
"However, this also shows that the other party has a guilty conscience and does not dare to confront us head-on. It only engages in such peripheral public opinion."
"If the opponent only has this trick, then it will be our turn."
"Just do what Mr. Zhang said, just hit hard this time!"
"We must not only continue to build momentum in public opinion, but also continue to attract film and television companies and copyright holders to join in. It is also good for them to cheer and cheer."
“More importantly, we must take up legal weapons to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of copyright owners!”
Zhang Chaoyang hesitated for a moment. He was not afraid of a lawsuit.
Forming an anti-piracy alliance and filing a lawsuit is a necessary process, and he has already prepared for it and has found a lawyer.
But isn’t it a little early to directly launch a lawsuit now? It has just caused a stir in public opinion, and it is directly filing a lawsuit before it has anything to do with it. It seems that the anti-piracy alliance has no tricks and is too restless.
"Mr. Qin, this lawsuit will definitely be fought." Zhang Chaoyang pondered for a moment and said slowly, "But you must be mentally prepared. This litigation process will be very long, and the final compensation may not be much."
As the largest copyright holder on the Internet, Qin Shaoyan's Kuaibo Network suffered the most serious damage. The compensation he received in the end may not even be a fraction of the cost of the lawsuit.
"Don't worry about these details." Qin Shaoyan waved his hand nonchalantly, "The lawsuit is to show our anti-piracy attitude, not just to claim compensation."
"We will not only fight a lawsuit, but we will also fight so hard that our opponents will be frightened, and we will publicize it with great fanfare."
"Not only that, we also need to expand the scope of our attack. We will not only sue the pirated websites, but also the advertisers who place advertisements for the pirated websites!"
"Isn't there that Coca-Cola advertisement on Youku.com? Send a lawyer's letter to Coca-Cola! Sue it as well!"
Zhang Chaoyang's eyes widened when he heard this. Mr. Qin, your move is too cruel.
But this is also a clever trick.
If advertisers are frightened, no one will be willing to place ads on those websites.
In this era, if a website has no advertising revenue, then there is basically no need for the website to exist.
Unless the website can find new ways to make money.
Video website income is either advertising, membership fees, or copyright distribution.
Apart from advertisements, the remaining two have nothing to do with piracy websites.
Hitting the snake seven inches, Qin Shaoyan's move hit the video website's seven inches exactly.
There are not many ads on video websites now, which is even more outrageous than twenty years ago.
I don’t know who spread the word about Qin Shaoyan’s advertising method. Video websites are desperately adding advertising in order to make money.
Play a video with as many commercials as those on TV.
There will be an advertisement when downloading the video from the website server at startup. When I pressed the pause button midway, another advertisement popped up.
A 40-minute TV series is often split into three segments, with commercial breaks almost every 15 minutes. And when playing videos, many web pages are full of traps. I wanted to move the mouse away from the video window, but accidentally clicked on the webpage, and the webpage advertisement that still took up almost the entire screen popped up.
"Okay! Even the advertisers will sue!" Zhang Chaoyang also figured it out at this time. Now that he has broken his heart, what should he worry about?
"Mr. Qin, when will your Kuaibo Network express its stance to the outside world?" Zhang Chaoyang changed the topic and asked, "We and Yiku Network have clearly supported anti-piracy."
"We will immediately keep up with everyone's pace." Qin Shaoyan said happily, "The time was not appropriate before, but now is the best time for us, Kuaibo Network, to speak out."
"By the way, Mr. Zhang, our anti-piracy alliance has to bring in the administrative agencies, otherwise we won't be able to produce anything in terms of advertising."
Public opinion quarrels, copyright lawsuits, etc. are all trivial matters and cannot hurt the vital point at all.
The truly lethal method requires the intervention of administrative agencies.
As long as the administrative agencies have strong support, those video websites will not be able to join the anti-piracy alliance.
Zhang Chaoyang nodded, "I have contacted the China Copyright Association and the Beijing Copyright Bureau, and we will attend the establishment ceremony of the Anti-Piracy Alliance together."
"Can you please call the leaders of Radio and Television? Video websites have the greatest relationship with Radio and Television." Qin Shaoyan mentioned.
"Of course I have considered this." Zhang Chaoyang said, "I am still contacting people in the film and television industry. I will contact them first and then contact the radio and television authorities."
Qin Shaoyan thought for a while, "It's best to call the leader of the Ministry of Information."
"Huh?" Zhang Chaoyang frowned, "The anti-piracy issue has little to do with the Ministry of Information."
"It doesn't matter much, but our video website is part of the Internet and is under the control of the Ministry of Information." Qin Shaoyan added. "Okay!" Zhang Chaoyang stood up from the chair. "This time it's our turn. I'll see how they can hold on."
Zhang Chaoyang left with confidence.
The anti-piracy alliance can be said to be strong and strong, carrying the politically correct banner of combating piracy. The industry has Kuaibo.com, the largest video website, and Yiku.com, a subsidiary of Microsoft, as allies.
Outside the industry, there are film and television entertainment circles waving flags and cheering. As long as the relationship between administrative agencies is smoothed out, those video website colleagues will have no power to fight back and can only sit back and wait for death.
……
With the help of both parties, topics related to the "Anti-Piracy Alliance" have set off waves of public opinion on the Internet.
First, Sohu made a high-profile propaganda about "enforcing industry self-discipline, protecting intellectual property rights, resisting piracy, and maintaining the market environment" and targeted other video websites.
Sohu's news content is forwarded on major portal websites and published in print media, occupying the mainstream public opinion position.
Then the gunmen launched by small and medium-sized video websites, including Tudou and Youku.com, began to spread various soft articles in major Internet forums and post bars, denounced the practices of the "anti-piracy alliance", and won the public support of the majority of netizens.
One side is asserting itself under the banner of political correctness, while the other side is relying on the will of the people to gain strength in numbers.
The two sides are at odds with each other in public opinion. They are shouting loudly, but the harm to each other is limited.
Then Yiku.com followed up with a high profile, announcing its support for Sohu.com, and at the same time claiming that it had reached an agreement with Qvod.com.
At a price of US$15 million per year, it will acquire the copyright of the film and television resource library of Qvod.com.
This news was revealed and instantly caused an uproar.
The figure of $15 million shocked everyone.
On the one hand, everyone is envious and jealous of Yiku.com for its wealth. On the other hand, they also realize that copyright is so valuable.
Other video websites are a little confused. US$15 million per year is enough to maintain the operating costs of their websites, and there is even some leftover.
Qiubo.com made a lot of money quietly, while the bosses of other video websites were still worrying about financing, making their eyes bleed with envy.
At the same time, they also have a deep understanding of how expensive copyright is. They are not Yiku.com, and they have Microsoft behind them.
If they really want to fully develop genuine products, they can't even afford US$1.5 million, not to mention US$15 million.
Without copyright, there is no content. Without content, the website cannot attract users, and it will have to wait to die.
Developing a UGC model takes time, and they just don’t have time.
This is a life-and-death struggle.
On the other hand, film and television dramas and the entertainment industry have also been stimulated.
They did not expect that the price of Internet copyrights would rise to this extent. The copyrights sold at cabbage prices before were a huge loss.
Anti-piracy must be dealt with, and it must be carried out in a big way!
If all video websites use genuine products, then their copyrights won’t skyrocket.
Although their exclusive Internet copyright has been sold to Qvod.com, there are still films and TV series to be produced in the future.
Film and television companies quickly joined forces with the "Video Website Anti-Piracy Alliance", and they also followed suit in public opinion, denouncing the rampant piracy websites.
With the participation of film and television companies, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television quickly smoothed things over.
Sohu immediately held a launching ceremony for the "China Online Video Anti-Piracy Alliance" and invited hundreds of representatives from Radio and Television, Beijing Copyright Bureau, China Copyright Association, Qvod.com, Yiku.com, major film and television organizations, and legal professionals to attend. .
The launch ceremony was grand and pompous. Zhang Chaoyang talked about copyright protection at the ceremony, which aroused waves of applause.
Taking advantage of the lively atmosphere, Zhang Chaoyang handed the microphone to Qvod.com CEO Kou Hongfei and asked him to say a few words.
We, Sohu and Yiku.com, have all spoken out, but you, Kuaibo.com, have not taken a stand. Now it’s time to make some noise.
Although Kou Hongfei was a little nervous, fortunately, Mr. Qin had prepared some preparations for him in advance, so he could still cope with it.
On behalf of Kuaibo.com, he announced that he would actively combat piracy and refuted certain comments on the Internet.
The proliferation of piracy not only harms the interests of copyright owners, but is also harmful to Internet users in the long run.
They have all been pirated, making it impossible for the producers to recoup their costs. If things go on like this, who will be producing content in the future? No one will be able to watch it.
However, many netizens sneered at this. Their attitude was that they wanted me to pay for it, which was absolutely impossible.
A group of people also ridiculed Yiku.com for being taken advantage of for spending so much money. At the same time, some people also questioned that Yiku.com and Qiaobo.com were jointly promoting hype and deceiving everyone.
Various spoof jokes appeared on Tianya, Maopu and other forums, making fun of Yiku.com and Qvod.com.
However, video websites such as Tudou and Youku are not happy at all.
Because they were notified by the advertiser that they were removing the ad.
Just remove the ads. What confuses them the most is that the other party wants their money back.
"Refund?!" Liu Yan, who lives in the sixth room, almost crushed the tea cup. "Why should I refund the money?!"
Gu Yongqiang from Youku.com snorted, "Why? Because they received a letter from Sohu's lawyer, saying that if they don't withdraw the ads, they will sue them as well."
"Holy shit!" Liu Yan was shocked, "How the hell can you play like this?"
"If you sue me, why would you sue the advertisers as well?"
"This is going to kill us!"
Wang Wei from Tudou said with a sullen face, “They just want to kill us.”
"The method is too vicious!" Li Shanyou from Cool 6 also denounced, "It's too disrespectful of martial ethics. How could Zhang Chaoyang do this!"
Liu Yan gritted his teeth and said: "He is unkind and I am unjust, so we will fight to the death."
"How do you fight? What do you fight for?!" Gu Yongqiang snorted and retorted.
"If he can sue, so can we!" Liu Yan said angrily, "They must also have pirated content! We fight lawsuits with lawsuits and keep saying anti-piracy. But it turns out that there are also piracy on our own website. I wonder where they will put their faces."
"In that case, we will be completely fooled by them." Gu Yongqiang interrupted Liu Yan, "So what if we win the lawsuit? If we don't solve the problem at all, the other party will drag us to death."
"Now we have to solve the problem of advertisers."
"This won't work, and that won't work either. What do you think we should do?" Liu Yan asked.
Wang Wei was silent for a long time, then sighed and said: "Just shake people."
"Shake someone?" Liu Yan was stunned, "Who are you shaking?"
"If you go to the Ministry of Information Industry, the leader can't watch the whole industry being ruined by him." Wang Wei said lightly, "As long as the leader comes to mediate, the other party will not dare to complete the matter."
"This is a way." Gu Yongqiang sighed, "The sooner this happens, the better."
In situations where life and death are at stake, people can unleash their infinite potential. The "Anti-Quick Broadcast Alliance" took action as soon as they finished their discussion in the morning.
In the afternoon, Kou Hongfei of Qvod.com received a notice from the ministry, asking him to attend a meeting and talk with industry representatives.
Kou Hongfei was a little confused and immediately called Qin Shaoyan for instructions.
Qin Shaoyan was also a little surprised, "Hey, the leaders appear a little fast."
"You don't have to worry about this. I'll go to the ministry and talk to the leaders myself."
(End of chapter)