By China has become the top international superpower. I don’t think there’s any denying it at this point, and yet it’s surprising how hard a time the biggest companies in the world have had trying to break into this market. Receiving patents and copyrights in the country has been near impossible, because of the nation’s lax rules on infringement and hardline rules on “appropriate content.”
All that may be changing as Disney, the unholy grail of multinational entertainment corporations, has struck a deal with Alibaba’s Youku, a major streaming platform in China.
The deal includes more than 1,000 episodes of Disney’s animated shows, such as DuckTales and My Friends Tigger & Pooh. Disney’s film content will launch on the platform, as well, with titles like Pirates of the Caribbean, Mulan, and Frozen making the cut.
This does leave one troubling question hanging, however. With so many of Disney’s classics open in a cheap and accessible manner to the Chinese public, will the wild world of Chinese knockoff films be destroyed in the process?
Terrifying to ponder, I know.
Prepare to say no more to Bug Bites: An Ant’s Life, Tiny Robots, Young Pocahontas, and What’s Up: Balloon to the Rescue!
Just kidding. All the above movies were either made in Brazil or the USA itself. Who would’ve guessed that folks in the West have already taken up the knockoff gauntlet and are running with it, naked and free?
Wipe that sweat away. We don’t have to worry about movies like The Autobots disappearing any time soon.
No wait. That one is Chinese. Damnit.
Disney Strikes Major Chinese Streaming Deal with Alibaba’s Youku [Deadline]
