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| ▲ Park Dae-chul (2nd from L), chief policymaker of the ruling People Power Party, speaks in a meeting with the government at the National Assembly in Seoul on July 31, 2023, on ways to strengthen crackdowns on illegal content distribution websites. (Yonhap) |
K-content-illegal distribution
Treble damages mulled against illegal video content distributors
SEOUL, July 31 (Yonhap) -- The ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the government agreed Monday to introduce a strong punitive damages system to crack down on illegal distributors of video content, such as Korean cultural content, or K-content.
The agreement was reached in a meeting at the National Assembly as part of efforts to prevent the reappearance of Noonoo TV, a foreign-based website that has been regulated for illegal streaming of domestic OTT, or over-the-top, video content, and strengthen the government's response capabilities through international cooperation, according to the PPP's chief policymaker Park Dae-chul.
Park said the new system may call for imposing punitive damages of up to three times the actual damages, though the exact amount will be determined later through further discussions. PPP lawmaker Lee Yong-ho has already submitted an amendment to the copyright law that triples the amount of damages for copyright infringements and gives relevant public officials the right to conduct on-site investigations.
Besides the punitive damages system, the PPP and the government will push to increase the recommended jail terms for copyright violators through consultation with the Supreme Court's Sentencing Commission, Park noted.
They will also push to introduce legislation to block websites caught infringing on copyrights and strengthen cooperation in international investigations of illegal content distribution sites with servers overseas.
"It is difficult to expect continued development of the content industry unless illegal content distribution by websites like Noonoo TV and the viewing of stolen content are prevented. We need to spread the social atmosphere of paying a fair price for content," Park said.
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