Karaoke associations in Guangzhou and Shangahi have said the National Copyright Administration's scheme to charge karaoke clubs standardized copyright fees is unreasonable.

Zhu Nan, a Shanghai Municipal Association of Culture and Entertainment Industry official, said the scheme is illegal because the China Audio-Video Collective Management Association, which levies the fees, has yet to be established.

He said an organization cannot levy fees from the local entertainment industry unless it has finished the process of business registration and obtained the Ministry of Civil Affairs¡¯ approval.

The National Copyright Administration gave the China Audio-Video Collective Management Association the green light to charge the fees in July.

Zhu said the Shanghai association will take a variety of measures, including legal means, to fend off the KTV copyright fees.

But he admitted that strong opposition from karaoke operators is unlikely to deter copyright authorities from imposing fees on them.

He also said the proposed standard copyright fee of 12 yuan, or US$1.5, per room per day is too expensive. He said a fee of one yuan per room per day would be a reasonable charge.

On Monday, the Guangzhou Association of Culture and Entertainment Industry issued a statement objecting to the standard copyright fees.

It said copyright owners should be allowed to negotiate directly with karaoke operators to set the price of the fee.

Editor: Donald