Video website founder sentenced for copyright infringement
A screenshot shows Wen Bote, founder of video-sharing website Dilidili, as he appears at Shanghai Xuhui District People's Court on Thursday.
Wen Bote, founder of video-sharing website Dilidili, was sentenced to three years and three months behind bars for copyright infringement, the Xuhui District court announced on Thursday.
The 27-year-old was also fined 1 million yuan (US$152,000) and banned from any involvement in the online video industry for three years, the court added.
Three other people who were in charge of the website's advertising and technology departments received prison sentences of two years, with a two-year reprieve, and fines up to 100,000 yuan, the court said.
Between 2015 and 2019, Wen shared over 6,000 episodes of Japanese anime on Dilidili without the permission of related owners and their companies, including video-streaming platform iQiyi and Tencent, the Minhang District procuratorate said.
While viewers could watch videos on Dilidili for free, Wen earned 400,000 yuan in total from advertising, the procuratorate said.
In June, the four were arrested and pleaded guilty. They were prosecuted by Minhang authorities four months later.
