MBC Wins China Video Platform Copyright Litigation "Actively Responding to Illegal Distribution" [Official]

*This content was translated by AI.

MBC won a copyright lawsuit filed against a large Chinese video platform.

MBC said on the 23rd that it won a lawsuit filed against the operator of BilllieBilllie, a large Chinese video platform, through a final ruling by a Chinese court.

BilllieBilllie is China's leading video platform that operates based on user-generated content (UGC). The BilllieBilllie MAU (number of monthly active users) is a large platform that is confirmed to be about 366 million on average in the fourth quarter of 2025, and domestic broadcasting contents were leaked in Korea, which has also attracted attention from the parliamentary audit.

MBC filed a lawsuit for damages in a Chinese court in 2021 regarding the distribution of its broadcast content through the platform without permission, and appealed, judging that the amount of damages was not sufficiently reflected, although the infringement liability was recognized in the first trial.

In response, China's Kangso Province High People's Court partially changed the first trial's ruling, acknowledging the responsibility of assisting infringement and raising the scope of damages for the platform operator's failure to take appropriate measures despite being aware of the mass distribution of infringing content. This ruling was confirmed at the same time as the ruling in accordance with China's second trial system.

The court found that the level of duty of care required of platform operators could never be low, considering that the content has high recognition and commercial value and has been distributed for a long time on thousands of occasions within the platform. In particular, it was clearly pointed out that it is difficult to see it as a simple neutral intermediary, considering the circumstances in which the platform's operating structure has actually contributed to the spread of infringement, such as algorithm recommendation and channel configuration.

MBC said, "This ruling is an example of China's practical implementation of the principle that foreign copyright holders should be provided with equal protection as Koreans as a contracting country for the Bern Convention and TRIPs Agreement," adding, "It has an important meaning in that large platform operators have presented clear limitations on the practice of avoiding responsibility because of the format of 'user upload.'"

With this ruling, MBC plans to continue to take more active legal action against illegal distribution through overseas platforms. In particular, if the same or similar infringement structure is repeated, it will continue to seek stricter legal judgments on the scope of responsibility of platform operators.

An MBC official said, "This ruling made it clear that the structure in which platform operators exercise practical influence in the content distribution process and take enormous profits while avoiding responsibility is no longer acceptable," adding, "We will hold them accountable for the unauthorized distribution of content in any format, regardless of whether it is domestic or foreign, and take all necessary legal measures."

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*This content was translated by AI.