The Korea Copyright Protection Agency (KCOPA) and the Motion Picture Association (MPA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in a joint effort to fight digital piracy in the Asia Pacific region and other parts of the world. The agreement, which took effect on July 3, was announced by The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), the MPA’s content protection arm.
Under the agreement, KCOPA and ACE, will work together to enhance awareness of intellectual property rights and provide updated and actionable information on digital piracy. They also will convene a global meeting each year to exchange information on piracy trends, challenges and solutions. In addition, they will co-host joint training and awareness events with a focus on the Asia Pacific region with the potential to include other jurisdictions.
Additional KCOPA initiatives
Earlier in June, KCOPA co-hosted the Korea Digital forensic Society Summer Conference together with the Korea Digital Forensics Society, the National Police Agency, and the Korea Criminal Justice Policy Research Institute. At this event, experts in digital forensics presented techniques and pratices to respond to copyright infringement for streaming video and other forms of content.
According to KCOPA, publishers and other content industries are realizing the importance of copyright protection technology, and has been promoting a project to apply and support Korean Wave content copyright protection technology since 2021 .
This project is a project to build and strengthen the copyright protection ecosystem by introducing commercialized solutions for copyright protection of Hallyu contents or supporting the development of self – protection technology. A total of 10 companies were selected and supported with KRW 720 million (based on government subsidies)
In May, the Agency published its 2023 Copyright Protection Annual Report which surveyed 24,000 consumers aged 13-69 and found that 29% of movie content consumption in the country was from illegal sources.
Further reading
ACE and the Korea Copyright Protection Agency Join Forces to Combat Digital Piracy in APAC region. Press release. July 3, 2023. Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE)
Korea Copyright Protection Agency press releases. Web site. Korea Copyright Protection Agency.
Why it matters
Anti-piracy is a team effort and agreements such as this one complement existing and ongoing anti-piracy collaborations across the Asia-Pacific region, which also include the Asia Video Industry Association and others.
“Today’s MOU serves as a symbolic opportunity for KCOPA and MPA/ACE to cooperate on expanding the network to deter and combat copyright infringement of entertainment content, not only in the Asia-Pacific region but also around the world,” said Jung Youl Park, President of KCOPA. “The two organizations plan to continue cooperating on various copyright protection issues to increase synergies in copyright enforcement through the use of mutual networks, and to support the continued growth of the creative content industry.”
“Online piracy in the APAC region continues to threaten jobs, puts consumers at risk of malware, undermines investment, reduces tax contributions to governments, and stifles creativity. By signing this MOU with KCOPA we are signaling a new era for content protection in Korea and the Asia Pacific region,” said Jan van Voorn, the Motion Picture Association’s Executive Vice President of Global Content Protection and Head of ACE. “I am confident that together, KCOPA and ACE will make significant strides in preventing and reducing the distribution of pirated content on a regional and worldwide basis, ensuring that consumers can enjoy their favorite television series and films safely and legally.”
