UK and Chinese licensing bodies strike book deal
The Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) has struck a deal with the China Written Works Copyright Society (CWWCS) that should lead to more Chinese works becoming available in the UK.
It means Chinese print and digital publications will be included in CLA licences and could pave the way for further licensing in China.
The deal comes as an IP-focused UK ministerial delegation has embarked on a trip to China for the first time. The CLA is part of that delegation, which is being led by IP minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe and ends on September 5.
Kevin Fitzgerald, CLA chief executive, who signed the deal with Hongbo Zhang of the CWWCS yesterday (September 2), said: “CLA is pleased to embark on this new international relationship and proud to include many sought-after Chinese publications in our repertoire. This adds great value to our licences and points to exciting future developments as our two organisations move forward together.”
Neville-Rolfe added: “Chinese publications will be more widely available in the UK as a result of this agreement, benefiting both authors and publishers in China. I congratulate the CLA and CWWCS on their success in securing this agreement and look forward to welcoming more such business initiatives as our trade and investment links continue to grow.”
