China Announces New Online Gaming Regulations
Sohu IT, 1/20/10
Sun Shoushan, vice-director of China's General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP), announced at the 2009 China Game Industry Annual Conference (CGIAC) in Dalian today that GAPP will release a series of rules and regulations for online game approval. All online games, whether imported or domestically developed, must possess "One License and Three Certifications" before beginning operations. "One License and Three Certifications" means online games must obtain a license for online operations, a copyright approval certificate number, an examination license number and an online game publication number. Once a game has completed the initial pre-approval and import evaluation process, any new versions, expansion packs or operational changes must be resubmitted for pre-approval or import approval inspection, with failure to do so resulting in the game being banned as an unlicensed publication.
Sun said GAPP will increase its oversight of imported online game publication and operations, and that online gaming operations are a significant component of online publication services and are regarded as a new form of publication. As such, online games must be operated and regulated in accordance with China's laws regarding publications. GAPP will create a database for tracking violations by online games in order to provide adequate oversight.
Keywords: online gaming Sun Shoushan Internet GAPP CGIAC regulation
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