Tencent Music Halts Content Sublicensing Agreement with NetEase Cloud Music

Chinese internet and mobile services firm Tencent's (0700.HK) entertainment business, Tencent Music Entertainment Group (TME), has temporarily halted its content sublicensing agreement with NetEase's (Nasdaq: NTES) music service over copyright infringement. Tencent Music Entertainment Group has also filed a lawsuit in Shenzhen to directly eliminate the piracy problem.

NetEase Cloud Music recently took down a large number of songs, which when clicked display "The media is currently unavailable due to partner request." Most of the songs are from famous Hong Kong and Taiwanese artists, the licensing rights to which are owned by Tencent.

NetEase Cloud Music responded to the online discussion by noting that the delisted music only accounts for about 1% of the company's music library, and said that the platform and Tencent Music are currently in negotiations for copyright license transfers.