Recently, a company was found liable for copyright infringement after performing a popular song during its annual meeting livestream, drawing widespread attention. Under China’s Copyright Law, publicly performing copyrighted music—regardless of whether it is for profit—requires prior authorization from the rights holder. Although an annual meeting may be considered an internal event, livestreaming it online constitutes public dissemination to an undefined audience, which legally qualifies as a ‘public performance.’ Therefore, even if no fees are charged or commercial promotion is involved, performing a copyrighted song without permission may still constitute infringement. Courts have clarified in relevant rulings that when corporate events like annual meetings are broadcast live, they fall outside the scope of ‘fair use’ and must obtain proper licenses—either directly from the copyright owner or through collective management organizations such as the Music Copyright Society of China. This case serves as a reminder to all organizations: even non-commercial online events must respect intellectual property rights. To avoid legal liability, companies should conduct copyright compliance checks when planning events, opt for original compositions or works in the public domain, or secure necessary permissions in advance.
近日，某公司在年会直播中演唱流行歌曲被判定侵犯著作权，引发广泛关注。根据我国《著作权法》，公开表演他人享有版权的音乐作品，无论是否营利，均需获得权利人许可。年会虽属内部活动，但若通过网络平台进行直播，即构成向不特定公众传播，属于法律意义上的‘公开表演’。因此，即使未收取费用或未用于商业宣传，未经授权演唱仍可能构成侵权。法院在相关判例中指出，企业组织的年会若通过直播形式对外传播，已超出‘合理使用’范畴，必须事先取得音乐作品著作权人的授权，或通过中国音乐著作权协会等集体管理组织获得许可。此案例提醒各类机构：在举办线上活动时，即便是非营利性质，也应尊重知识产权，避免因疏忽而承担法律责任。建议企业在策划年会、庆典等活动时，提前做好版权合规审查，选择原创曲目、公有领域作品，或依法获取授权，以规避法律风险。
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