On 28 February 2025, China’s National Copyright Administration (“CNCA”) released statistics on copyright registrations nationwide in 2024 (“Statistics”). According to the Statistics, the total number of copyright registrations nationwide in 2024 reached 10,630,610, twice the total number of registrations in 2020. Based on the CNCA’s statistics of copyright registrations nationwide from 2020 to 2024, this article analyzes the changes in China’s copyright registrations in the past five years from the perspectives of copyright registrations of works, computer software, and copyright pledge registrations.
In the past five years, the number of copyright registrations for works has always accounted for more than 60% of the total copyright registrations. Except for 2022, it has grown by more than 20% every year and has particularly increased by 42.3% in 2023. The province with the largest number of registrations has always been Beijing, increasing from 1,004,676 in 2020 to 1,290,130 in 2024. In addition to Beijing, the China Copyright Protection Center has always been among the top five in terms of registration volume. However, its registration volume ranking has dropped from third in 2020 to fifth in 2024. Fujian, Shandong, and Hebei ranked second, third, and fourth in 2024, respectively. Meanwhile, the provinces with growth rates exceeding 100% in 2024 are Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Henan, and Xinjiang.
The types of copyright registration for works are mainly divided into fine arts works, photographic works, literary works, film and television works, sound recordings, and musical works. In 2020, the most registered work copyrights were photographic works, with 1,510,914 pieces, accounting for 45.56%. However, from 2021 to 2024, fine arts are ranked first, and the proportion increased year by year, from 41.92% in 2021 to 54.92% in 2024. During this period, photographic works always ranked second. From 2020 to 2024, literary works ranked third, rising from 212,797 pieces in 2020 to 728,096 pieces in 2024. Although the number of registrations for film and television works has been ranked fourth for the past five years, the number of registrations has declined significantly in the past two years. The number of registrations in 2021 reached 244,538, but it dropped to 118,544 and 136,345 in 2023 and 2024, respectively. In 2021, the number of registrations for music works also reached a peak, 50,851, accounting for 1.28% of the work copyright registrations for the same period. But its proportions in other years fluctuated between 0.4% and 0.74%.
The number of computer software copyright registrations in China has increased significantly in the past five years, from 1,722,904 in 2020 to 2,827,213 in 2024. Most of the registrations came from provinces and cities in eastern China, including Guangdong, Beijing, and Jiangsu, which have been in the top three for many years. Guangdong has always ranked first in the number of registrations, increasing from about 240,000 in 2020 to 280,000 in 2024, and the proportion has always been no less than 10%. This also reflects the strength of Guangdong as a major science and technology province. In addition, Shanghai, Sichuan, Shandong, and Zhejiang are popular regions for computer software copyright registration and have been in the top ten for five years.
According to the Statistics, both in terms of quantity and amount, China’s copyright pledge registration is far lower than that of countries in Europe and the United States. From 2020 to 2024, the number of copyright pledge registrations in China has never exceeded 500, and the principal debt amount and guarantee amount involved have not exceeded RMB 10 billion (equivalent to US$1.37 billion). In 2024, China completed 432 copyright pledge registrations, which increased by 5.11% year-on-year, but other statistical data have declined to varying degrees, especially the principal debt amount involved, RMB 4.677 billion (equivalent to US$641 million) and the guarantee amount involved, RMB 4.101 billion (equivalent to US$562 million), both of which have dropped by more than 50% compared with last year. In the past five years, the number of computer software copyright pledge registrations accounted for more than 60% of the total registrations. Except for 2023, the number of computer software copyright pledge registrations has accounted for more than 90% each year. The year 2023 was the best year for computer software copyright pledge registration, with 361 registrations, involving a principal debt of RMB 9.171 billion (equivalent to US$1.257 billion) and a guarantee of RMB 9.074 billion (equivalent to US$1.244 billion). In 2024, the number of pledge registrations for works other than computer software copyrights exceeded 100 for the first time, with 165 pieces, a year-on-year increase of 230%; but the principal debt involved was RMB 176 million (equivalent to US$24 million), a year-on-year decrease of 77.59%, and the guarantee involved was RMB 192 million (equivalent to US$26 million), a year-on-year decrease of 75.5%. The number of pledges for a single work has dropped significantly.
In conclusion, although the number of copyright registrations in China has increased significantly, the low data on pledge registrations shows that China still lags behind Europe and the United States in market-oriented financing functions. In the future, it should continue to work hard to improve the quality of copyrights, the evaluation mechanism, and financial tools.
In the past five years, the number of copyright registrations for works has always accounted for more than 60% of the total copyright registrations. Except for 2022, it has grown by more than 20% every year and has particularly increased by 42.3% in 2023. The province with the largest number of registrations has always been Beijing, increasing from 1,004,676 in 2020 to 1,290,130 in 2024. In addition to Beijing, the China Copyright Protection Center has always been among the top five in terms of registration volume. However, its registration volume ranking has dropped from third in 2020 to fifth in 2024. Fujian, Shandong, and Hebei ranked second, third, and fourth in 2024, respectively. Meanwhile, the provinces with growth rates exceeding 100% in 2024 are Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Henan, and Xinjiang.
The types of copyright registration for works are mainly divided into fine arts works, photographic works, literary works, film and television works, sound recordings, and musical works. In 2020, the most registered work copyrights were photographic works, with 1,510,914 pieces, accounting for 45.56%. However, from 2021 to 2024, fine arts are ranked first, and the proportion increased year by year, from 41.92% in 2021 to 54.92% in 2024. During this period, photographic works always ranked second. From 2020 to 2024, literary works ranked third, rising from 212,797 pieces in 2020 to 728,096 pieces in 2024. Although the number of registrations for film and television works has been ranked fourth for the past five years, the number of registrations has declined significantly in the past two years. The number of registrations in 2021 reached 244,538, but it dropped to 118,544 and 136,345 in 2023 and 2024, respectively. In 2021, the number of registrations for music works also reached a peak, 50,851, accounting for 1.28% of the work copyright registrations for the same period. But its proportions in other years fluctuated between 0.4% and 0.74%.
The number of computer software copyright registrations in China has increased significantly in the past five years, from 1,722,904 in 2020 to 2,827,213 in 2024. Most of the registrations came from provinces and cities in eastern China, including Guangdong, Beijing, and Jiangsu, which have been in the top three for many years. Guangdong has always ranked first in the number of registrations, increasing from about 240,000 in 2020 to 280,000 in 2024, and the proportion has always been no less than 10%. This also reflects the strength of Guangdong as a major science and technology province. In addition, Shanghai, Sichuan, Shandong, and Zhejiang are popular regions for computer software copyright registration and have been in the top ten for five years.
According to the Statistics, both in terms of quantity and amount, China’s copyright pledge registration is far lower than that of countries in Europe and the United States. From 2020 to 2024, the number of copyright pledge registrations in China has never exceeded 500, and the principal debt amount and guarantee amount involved have not exceeded RMB 10 billion (equivalent to US$1.37 billion). In 2024, China completed 432 copyright pledge registrations, which increased by 5.11% year-on-year, but other statistical data have declined to varying degrees, especially the principal debt amount involved, RMB 4.677 billion (equivalent to US$641 million) and the guarantee amount involved, RMB 4.101 billion (equivalent to US$562 million), both of which have dropped by more than 50% compared with last year. In the past five years, the number of computer software copyright pledge registrations accounted for more than 60% of the total registrations. Except for 2023, the number of computer software copyright pledge registrations has accounted for more than 90% each year. The year 2023 was the best year for computer software copyright pledge registration, with 361 registrations, involving a principal debt of RMB 9.171 billion (equivalent to US$1.257 billion) and a guarantee of RMB 9.074 billion (equivalent to US$1.244 billion). In 2024, the number of pledge registrations for works other than computer software copyrights exceeded 100 for the first time, with 165 pieces, a year-on-year increase of 230%; but the principal debt involved was RMB 176 million (equivalent to US$24 million), a year-on-year decrease of 77.59%, and the guarantee involved was RMB 192 million (equivalent to US$26 million), a year-on-year decrease of 75.5%. The number of pledges for a single work has dropped significantly.
In conclusion, although the number of copyright registrations in China has increased significantly, the low data on pledge registrations shows that China still lags behind Europe and the United States in market-oriented financing functions. In the future, it should continue to work hard to improve the quality of copyrights, the evaluation mechanism, and financial tools.