Thus, a copyright dispute case, unprecedented in China, began on this day with a media-open hearing and a level of attention that even the court had not anticipated, lasting for more than two hours.
The case is actually very simple.
The plaintiff sued Baidu for infringing on the copyright of original music while providing search services, and for providing pirated links to the audience for profit, which seriously damaged the interests of music practitioners. The plaintiff requested the court to order Baidu to immediately cease operations, issue a public apology, and compensate for copyright losses of 1.09 million yuan.
The defendants have repeatedly emphasized that they only provided technology and services, and used those technologies and services to display the content that users searched for. The content is not theirs; the fault lies with those pirate websites. You have sued the wrong party.
As Chu Yang had predicted, Li Yanhong and his lawyer downplayed their responsibilities, completely absolving themselves of any responsibility, and even feigned grievance, displaying extreme shamelessness.
However, the internet and digital industry is just starting out now, and there are no relevant laws to regulate it, and there is no experience in dealing with such cases.
Without any applicable regulations to support their judgment, the judges are left with no choice but to accept the ruling.
Even if Chu Yang listed a great deal of evidence and charges, none of them could convict him.
So gradually, the scales of victory tipped in Baidu's favor.
As the first trial was nearing its end, the media reporters who were in the audience already knew the outcome.
As Li Yanhong said before the trial, he would win, and he did indeed win.
But everyone knows that this victory was anything but honorable.
It seems that Li Yanhong himself knows that things have escalated to this point, so even if he wins, it's not a real victory, but it's better than losing.
He then cast a slightly smug look at Shen Nansheng and Chu Yang.
It's as if it's saying: If you can't kill me, I'll keep going, I'll come back, what are you going to do about it!
At this point, the judge spoke up: "Does the plaintiff have anything else to say?"
"Yes." Chu Yang slowly stood up, bowed politely, then scanned the entire room before finally fixing his gaze on Li Yanhong.
With a pointed finger, the sound echoed throughout the entire venue:
"...Shameless!"
Everyone: "..."
At this moment, many people almost couldn't hold back and frantically suppressed their smiles.
But then, Shen Nansheng shouted from the audience, "What are you all standing there for? Laugh!"
"Pfft!"
Finally, someone couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.
This sparked a burst of laughter, and the audience was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
"Haha, I can't take it anymore, this guy is hilarious!"
"It feels like he doesn't care about winning or losing; he just wants to annoy Li Yanhong!"
"This guy is really talented. Is he really only nineteen?"
"Player of the game! I have to put this on the front page!"
"..."
Even the judge's lips twitched; realizing something was wrong, he quickly tapped his gavel.
"Silence! Silence!...Ahem, plaintiff, please watch your words!"
Chu Yang nodded: "I've finished speaking, thank you."
At this moment, Li Yanhong's face looked as if he had swallowed a cockroach, and he really wanted to grab this kid and beat him up on the spot.
He didn't bother with any more verbal sparring; he just snorted and ignored them.
The judge then began to announce the verdict of the first instance.
"Baidu's search engine service only provides technology and does not provide any substantive infringing content. It does not have any subjective fault in infringing on the copyrights of others. The plaintiff's claim that Baidu infringes on copyrights lacks legal basis."
"...All claims by plaintiffs including Coolcat Music, Universal Music, EMI, etc. are dismissed!"
...
The lawsuit was dismissed in its entirety, and Baidu won the case.
But Li Yanhong was not happy at all.
When I walked out of the courthouse, my face was still dark.
However, a group of media reporters kept surrounding him, wanting to interview him and constantly asking about his experience and insights during the trial.
Li Yanhong remained silent, ignoring all questions.
He still has a lot of things to deal with.
He won the lawsuit and could continue running his pirated music search function, but by the time he appeared in court, 80% of the pirated music websites had already collapsed.
So what he needs to do is figure out how to continue running the pirated music search service after the copyright issue blows over.
Chu Yang was also surrounded by many reporters.
He stopped and faced the microphones of the group of reporters, his voice firm and clear: "Dear reporter, please don't shove the microphone into my mouth, thank you."
Then he continued, "We lost the lawsuit, but I don't think we lost. Supporting original works and protecting the rights of original authors is a righteous act. Is it wrong? No, it's not wrong!"
"On the contrary, it is Baidu's behavior of pretending to be ignorant while knowing the truth, using its technology to support piracy and profit from it that is truly despicable!"
"They can exploit legal loopholes to profit today, but what kind of harmful things will they do to society when they grow stronger? I simply can't imagine!"
"In fact, neither the internet nor the real world is above the law. There should be more comprehensive laws and stricter supervision. It's just that the internet is still in its infancy, and digital music is also in its infancy, which has been exploited by many criminals."
"Internet development is an inevitable trend, and it will surely become more prosperous in the future. I don't care about winning or losing this lawsuit, but I hope that this case will attract the attention of relevant departments and strive to improve the relevant laws and regulations on Internet copyright as soon as possible, protect the vital interests of legitimate copyright holders, and restore a clean environment to the Internet!"
In this wave, Chu Yang's moral compass has practically reached the atmosphere.
It seemed to be looking down at Li Yanhong, mercilessly crushing him.
After he finished speaking, everyone looked at Li Yanhong.
It's as if they're saying, "You are who you are, you're the scum who pollutes the internet!"
Li Yanhong almost couldn't swallow his anger. He hadn't expected the other party's methods to be so terrifying.
He won the lawsuit, but it seems he didn't really win; he also has to sacrifice his reputation.
This is an absolutely devastating blow to an internet company.
Overconfidence and carelessness were his biggest mistakes this time!
What Li Yanhong didn't expect was that something even more terrifying happened the day after the lawsuit.
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