The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has signed a pact with Chinese e-commerce site Taobao Marketplace, aimed at curbing piracy in one of the world's fastest growing markets.
The MPA is associated with the Motion Picture Association of America, Hollywood's lobbying arm and a vociferous opponent of digital piracy. The MPA membership includes all of the major studios, who have a vested interest in cracking down on copyright infringers in a country with a massive population of moviegoers.
Under the memorandum of understanding, Taobao said it will work to identify and remove counterfeit audio-visual goods and the companies that sell them from its site. Also, shops on the site will now have to receive a license to post goods.
"We are very confident of seeing positive and immediate results arising from this initiative”, Mike Ellis, president and managing director of MPA Asia Pacific, said in a statement.
Taobao is owned by Alibaba Group. Earlier this year, it found itself included on the United States Trade Representative's list of markets that offered pirated goods.
