The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Dec. 27 released four strategies for the nation to emerge as a global copyright power, outlining its vision and tasks for copyright policy. Seen is the girl group NewJeans on Aug. 11 performing at the concert "K-pop Super Live," which was the finale of the 25th World Scout Jamboree and held at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul's Mapo-gu District. (Jeon Han)
By Jung Joo-ri
The names of choreographers in music programs will be clearly indicated and new standards will govern the use of copyrights related to artificial intelligence (AI) to mitigate confusion on the copyright market stemming from the commercial application of AI technology.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Dec. 27 released its four-strategy plan to develop the nation into a global copyright power at Modu Art Theater in Seoul's Seodaemun-gu District.
Copyright exports nearly doubled from USD 8.04 billion in 2018 to USD 15.56 billion in 2022, according to Bank of Korea data. Thus the ministry proposed four strategies to further advance the sector: elimination of copyright blind spots, preemptive responses to AI, higher transparency in copyright industry distribution and stronger action against illegal distribution of domestic content overseas.
First, the planned expansion of choreography copyrights will raise the global status of K-pop dance and lead an era of visual music. Protection will also go toward the display of the names of choreographers on music programs as well as those of composers and lyricists, plus copyright registration, education and legal counseling will receive multifaceted support.
A forthcoming guide on generative AI copyrights will minimize market disruption caused by the commercial use of AI technology. The guidelines will include a requirement for AI business operators to provide proper compensation to copyright holders for using data for generative AI learning, while copyrights to AI outputs without creative human intervention to be prohibited.
Another goal is to improve the rights and interests of music creators by enhancing the system for overseas collection of copyright fees. The ministry will study the music distribution structure of major global markets for Hallyu (Korean Wave) content to boost royalty collection abroad and provide related information to domestic music platforms.
To strongly crack down on the illegal distribution of domestic content worldwide, the plan is to form stronger coordination with Interpol and strategic international cooperation.
"Copyrights are the driving force of our content industry, an essential element for sustainable growth and a key asset that drives the national economy," Minister Yu In Chon said. "We are committed to making our nation a global 'copyright power' by improving copyright regulations and systems to align with the times and environment."
etoilejr@korea.kr
