However, since Zhang Yimou brought up the issue of piracy, he has to say something about it.
Just as he was about to speak, the door to the private room opened, revealing Liu, the head of the Central Propaganda Department, and Ye Daying, along with Xu Qing.
"Sister Qing, what brings you here?"
Xu Qing rolled her eyes at Chen Fang.
Why can't I come?
Ye Daying placed the bottle of wine he was carrying on the table.
"I invited Xiao Qing. Lao Liu hasn't seen her in a long time, so we're catching up."
Shen Fang nodded in surprise. It seemed this woman's family wasn't ordinary. But then again, they were just typical children from a military compound.
Liu sat in the main seat, smiling as he offered cigarettes to everyone.
"What are you talking about? I could hear the excitement from outside. Director Zhang, you've really boosted the morale of our nation this time."
The old strategist repeatedly said, "Minister Liu, if you say that, I don't know how to stay. I've been listening to all your nice things."
Liu smiled and said, "You have achieved such great success, you should listen to everyone's compliments. I'm not afraid that you will become arrogant and complacent, after all, you are already this age."
Zhang Yimou laughed loudly: "Are you saying I'm old?"
Liu shook his head: "An old horse in its stall may still aspire to gallop a thousand miles, but I've heard that you can stay awake for three days and three nights while filming and still be full of energy. I'm the one who's really old. Look at me, I'm just sitting here in a walking thermos with goji berries in my mouth, feeling so weak."
Chen Fang... Goodness, even the boss makes jokes like this now.
Fan Xiaopang got up and poured tea for everyone present.
Everyone thanked them.
Shen Fang straightened up and looked at Liu Bu and Han Sanping with a serious expression.
"Director Liu, Uncle Han, since you're both here today, I want to talk about the issue of piracy. Piracy in China is too serious. On the first day of our release, pirated copies are everywhere all over the country by the second day. There are cam versions online and pirated DVDs. They're completely sucking the blood of us original creators."
As soon as Shen Fang spoke, everyone present fell silent.
Fatty Yu and Wang Zhongjun were both a bit dumbfounded. Good heavens, they really didn't expect Shen Fang to be such a hothead. Was he going to get involved in the piracy industry? Was this something he could control? You have no idea how deep the water is in here.
It is estimated that the annual sales of pirated products in mainland China are approximately 37 billion yuan, accounting for about 90% of the entire audio-visual product market share, and 98% of the people in mainland China use pirated products.
The author believes that this situation is caused by both supply and demand factors.
On the one hand, China's underdeveloped economy makes it unaffordable for ordinary people to buy genuine software that costs hundreds or even thousands of yuan. Furthermore, the relatively strict management measures implemented by the country regarding the import of cultural products also prevent ordinary people from purchasing some genuine software. On the other hand, the piracy market offers profits of 200% or even 300%, attracting unscrupulous merchants who are willing to take risks.
Putting everything else aside, let's talk about the Windows 7 system software. A genuine copy costs 690, while a pirated copy costs less than 20. They both have the same effect, so which one would you install?
Pirated DVDs cost only 5 yuan each, while genuine DVDs cost 50 yuan.
Needless to say, books were cheap back then, and logging was unrestricted. A pirated book with several hundred pages only cost 5 yuan, while a genuine one cost tens of yuan.
Ordinary people don't have much money, so how can you manage it?
Han Sanping's face turned bitter upon hearing this, and Liu Bu was at a loss for words. This young man was really up to something.
"Xiao Fang, let's talk about this later," Han Sanping said, changing the subject.
Shen Fang smiled and said, "Uncle Han, Director Liu, I know this industry is very complex and difficult to manage. If we touch this industry, it may affect the interests of many people, and even the interests of ordinary people will be harmed."
"But we can't let them keep leeching off our hard-earned TV series and movies. How can our industry make a living if this continues? They're making all the money, and that won't do."
Liu frowned.
"But this is really difficult, Xiao Fang. You should know how many pirated and counterfeit products people use these days. Almost every household uses them. How can we take action? What if we create a mess? How will we fix that?"
Han Sanping nodded: "Xiao Fang, you're not short of money. We're not abandoning you. Take it slow, you have to eat one bite at a time."
Shen Fang laughed: "Chairman Han, I don't care about that. I work in finance and high-tech companies, and to be honest, I earn far more than I do working hard to make movies in this industry. I just can't stand these people who so blatantly steal the fruits of our labor. I won't even mention anything else, but the biggest reason why every film we make loses money is because of these piracy people. They just take a camera, record something, or get a copy from the theater, and sell it for money. Don't they have it too easy?"
"Director Zhang, Director Feng, how long did it take you to shoot the fastest film?"
Feng Kuzi stroked his chin: "It will take at least four months."
Zhang Yimou shook his head: "I can't do it. I estimate it would only take four months to film more than half of it."
Shen Fang shrugged: "They can replicate one copy in half an hour, and then mass-produce it. They make all the money. If we don't clean this up, it really won't work."
Fatty Yu and Wang Zhongjun nodded in agreement. What they said was the truth; the piracy industry was leeching them off. But there was nothing they could do about it.
To give another example, the online rights to the wildly popular TV series "My Own Swordsman" from 2006 only sold for 150,000 yuan. If it were in 2023, the show would sell for over 100 million yuan. You'd be doomed if it didn't.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
