Budget for Relief from Illegal Copying to Be Doubled

Voucher Program Budget Set at 1.8 Billion Won
Comprehensive Response Including Local Lawsuits

The Korea Copyright Protection Agency will double the budget for overseas relief for rights holders in response to the surge in illegal reproduction of K-content.

On December 11, the Copyright Protection Agency announced that it has set the budget for next year's 'Customized Overseas Copyright Voucher Support Program' at 1.805 billion won. This is more than double the 880 million won allocated this year.

It is difficult for domestic rights holders to respond to illegal distribution through overseas platforms on their own. The language barrier is high, and local laws and procedures are also complicated.

The voucher program assists such rights holders throughout the entire process, from infringement monitoring to legal action. It provides support for local lawsuits, copyright infringement monitoring, requests for removal of illegal copies, review of export contracts, and the establishment of response strategies.

This year, the agency also introduced protection technologies to prevent copyright infringement in advance, such as DRM, watermarking, and forensic marking. Applicants can request multiple services up to a limit of 100 million won for individual applications and 150 million won for joint responses. Fourteen rights holders participated in this program this year. The Copyright Protection Agency stated, "We have achieved tangible results, not only by monitoring and requesting removal, but also by securing compensation through lawsuits and shutting down illegal sites."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.