A copyright trade fair is scheduled to be held in Shanghai, China's largest metropolis, next month in tandem with a book exposition.

Twenty-five internationally recognized publishers, including Oxford University Press, have confirmed attendance to the fair, said Lou Rongmin, deputy director of the Shanghai Press and Publication Bureau, on Thursday.

Drawn by the robust copyright trade in Shanghai and east China, international publishers have booked more than 50 booths at the fair. "It will turn the upcoming Shanghai Book Expo into an international event," Lou told a press conference in Shanghai.

The Book Expo, scheduled to open on Aug. 6, will last for nine days.

More than 117 publishers from east China will attend the copyright trade fair, which features exhibitions, trade talks and seminars on copyright trade in east China, Europe and America.

Lou said the event will serve as a bridge between domestic publishers and their international counterparts.

Shanghai has witnessed a 20-percent growth annually in its copyright trade in the recent five years. In 2004 alone, Shanghai-based publishing houses traded 1,282 categories of publications, including 1,020 imported categories and 262 exported categories, accounting for 10 percent and 20 percent respectively of the country's total.

China recently launched its first ever copyright trading center in Changsha, capital of Hunan Province, involving a total investment of 500 million yuan (62 million US dollars).

An earlier report said copyright industry contributes six percent to China's GDP.

Source: Xinhua