China Clarifies Game Approval Process
China Venture, 9/17/09
China's State Commission Office for Public Sector Reform (SCOPSR) has issued a notice clarifying the responsibilities of various state organs in the regulation processes concerning animation, online gaming, and the cultural market in general.
According to SCOPSR, as the main organ tasked with regulation of online games, China's Ministry of Culture (MoC) is responsible for market planning, management of industry bases, project development, conferences and trade fairs, and market oversight for the animation and online gaming industries.
China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) is responsible for regulation of animated programs in film and online video, while the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) bears responsibility for regulating the publishing process for animated works, and manages the pre-approval process prior to publication and distribution of online games.
The notice elaborates that, under the unified oversight of the MoC, GAPP is responsible for pre-approval of online game publication, but once a game is released online, it enters the full jurisdiction of the MoC. The notice further states that the MoC should defer to GAPP's pre-approval decisions, should not subject online games to a redundant approval process, and should regulate online game content in strict accordance with GAPP's pre-approval decisions. Online games that are published without first passing GAPP's approval will be dealt with by the cultural market law enforcement teams under the MoC, and GAPP shall not directly handle the matter further.
GAPP's department of technology and digital publishing is responsible for approving publication of licensed online games from overseas rights holders, while the MoC is responsible for approval of all other imported online games.
Keywords: SCOPSR online gaming film content digital publishing Internet law animation overseas regulation television online video Ministry of Culture SARFT GAPP operating rights
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