Mathew is an international transactional lawyer and corporate advisor with a focus on entertainment, technology and creative industries. Described as a “game-changing attorney” by Variety Magazine, Mathew leads our China office and media and entertainment practice from Beijing. He represents major Hollywood studios and producers on both motion picture and television projects. Mathew’s clientele extends to tech companies, promoters and event management companies, architectural firms, universities and publishers.
I recently spoke in Beijing at a conference on legal protection of sports broadcasts, organized by the National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Other speakers included Chinese judges, Chinese and American lawyers and academics, sports league and broadcaster general counsel, and American and European IP officials. What
Making a biopic – a biographical movie about real people– is complicated. And one of the biggest concerns is liability for defamation. In an ideal world, filmmakers would get everyone depicted in the movie to sign a release. But that’s often impractical: people want too much money, too much control over how they are depicted,
China’s copyright laws have been in line with the United States and the EU and other developed countries since China became a signatory to the Berne Convention in 1992 and the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) in 2001. But it’s hardly news that you can get a pirated copy of pretty
A strange and fascinating story is unfolding in the world of Chinese reality television programming. One of the most popular shows in China, The Voice of China, is embroiled in legal controversy, and the outcome could affect every content license in China. Okay, that might be a bit of hyperbole, but still, this is one
You’ve come all the way to China to talk to a prospective business partner. Maybe it’s an investor or a buyer. China is a big market. And you’ve heard there’s a lot of money here too. After you arrive in town the Chinese are so helpful. They know you can’t speak their language. They provide
Copyright takedowns in China and copyright notices. What you can and should do now to be able to use a copyright takedown to protect your copyrights in China.
China joined WIPO (the World Intellectual Property Organization) in 1980 and it introduced its first copyright law in 1990. China adopted modern intellectual property laws as a condition of joining the WTO (the World Trade Organization) in 2001. 2001 China intellectual property laws amendments The 2001 amendments were the first round of modernization of China’s
We have been drafting an increasing number of contracts for foreign companies licensing their concept or technology for use in China. In the old days, this type of licensing was primarily in the industrial sector. These days, much of our work has involved licensing agreements for companies that want to capture China business without having
