Applies to: the Chinese-language site, English-language site, iOS / Android apps and authorised third-party distribution channels operated by TREE NEWS ("we", "us" or "the Platform").
Article 1 – Scope
1.1 This notice applies to all content published and displayed on the Platform, including but not limited to news flashes, articles, columns, features, image cards, charts, data, audio and video, interface design and program code.
1.2 This notice, together with the Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, Disclaimer and News Flash Disclaimer, forms the Platform rules. It elaborates the intellectual property provisions of the Terms of Service.
Article 2 – Ownership of Platform content
2.1 Copyright, neighbouring rights and other intellectual property in the Platform's original content (content planned, reported, written by the Platform's editorial team, or in which the Platform has obtained the relevant rights by lawful licence) belong to the Platform or the relevant rights holder.
2.2 The Platform applies a "substantiated original" principle: content marked "Original" must be backed by genuine reporting and editing. Content generated or rewritten with AI assistance must not be marked as original merely on the basis of machine processing, and must carry AI labels as required.
2.3 Source attributions, original author credits and links to the original in news flashes and articles protect the traceability of the original rights holder's rights and must not be removed or altered when republishing or quoting.
Article 3 – Republication and quotation
3.1 Republication (in full or in substantial part): without the Platform's written authorisation, no organisation or individual may republish all or a substantial part of the Platform's original content. Where republication is genuinely required, apply for authorisation using the Republication Licence Request Form in the Annex and comply with the following:
- state "Source: TREE NEWS" and the link to the original in a prominent position;
- do not alter the headline or the substance of the text, and do not edit in a distorting manner;
- do not use republished content for commercial purposes unless expressly licensed for commercial use;
- retain AI labels, watermarks, QR codes and rights management information;
- the scope of the licence (platform / section / period / territory / purpose) is as stated in the licence document.
3.2 Quotation (fair use): within the limits of fair use under Article 24 of the Copyright Law of the People's Republic of China and applicable law, Platform content may be quoted to a reasonable extent, provided that the source and the author / editor are credited, the proportion quoted is appropriate, the quotation does not substantially substitute for the original, and the Platform's legitimate interests are not harmed.
3.3 Republication on self-media platforms (WeChat official accounts, Toutiao, Baijiahao, Zhihu and similar) must comply with the rules of each platform and with this notice. Unauthorised scraping, article spinning, pseudo-original rewriting and publication after synonym substitution are all treated as infringement.
3.4 The same rules apply to content on the English-language site. This English text corresponds to the Chinese "版权与转载声明".
Article 4 – User content and submissions
4.1 Copyright in content created by users in comments and submissions belongs to the user or the relevant rights holder. By posting, the user grants the Platform and its authorised channels a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to display and distribute the content (see Article 5 of the Terms of Service).
4.2 Submissions that are accepted and published carry an author credit and copyright notice in accordance with Platform rules. Contributors must ensure their submissions do not infringe third-party copyright.
4.3 Third parties wishing to republish user submissions must obtain authorisation from both the contributor and the Platform (arranged separately according to the licensing model).
Article 5 – Scraping, crawling and AI training
5.1 Without the Platform's written permission, no party may carry out large-scale automated collection, scraping, mirroring, crawling or similar activity on Platform content, or circumvent robots.txt, rate limits, CAPTCHAs or other technical protection measures.
5.2 The Platform states the permitted and prohibited scope of crawling in its robots.txt and site notices. No AI service provider, search engine or other party may use Platform content to train generative AI models without the Platform's express written authorisation. The Platform reserves the right to assert claims (including copyright and unfair competition remedies) against unauthorised training.
5.3 The Platform's own collection of third-party content complies with the terms of the source website, the robots protocol, copyright and unfair competition requirements, and gives priority to obtaining content through licensing agreements, APIs, RSS or contribution partnerships.
Article 6 – Third-party material and source licensing status
6.1 Copyright in republished content, images, fonts, audio, video and other third-party material published on the Platform belongs to the original rights holder. The Platform manages sources by licensing status (own content / licensed republication / summary only / prohibited) and uses material only within the "licensed republication" or "summary only" scope in the agreed manner.
6.2 Where a source permits summary only, the Platform displays a summary with a link to the original and does not republish in full.
6.3 Fonts, images, video and other material must be lawfully licensed. Unlicensed material does not enter the production workflow.
Article 7 – Infringement complaints and notice-and-takedown
7.1 A rights holder who believes Platform content infringes their legitimate rights may submit a written notice by email to tree@treenews.cn or through the Corrections & Complaints page, stating:
- the rights holder's identity and contact details (individuals: name, identity document, contact details; organisations: name, registration documents, authorised representative);
- the specific location of the allegedly infringing content (URL or page path);
- proof of rights (copyright registration certificate, proof of first publication, licence documents, etc.);
- a preliminary description of the infringement and the claim made;
- a statement that the notice is truthful and that the sender accepts legal liability for it.
7.2 On receipt of a valid notice the Platform will promptly verify it and take measures required by law, such as deletion, blocking or disabling the link, and will forward the notice to the user concerned where user content is involved. A sender whose incorrect notice causes damage bears liability in accordance with law (Articles 1195 to 1197 of the Civil Code of the People's Republic of China).
7.3 United States – DMCA: copyright complaints from users in the United States are handled under Section 512 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act using the "notice – takedown – counter-notice – restoration" procedure, and accounts of repeat infringers will be disabled. Send DMCA notices to tree@treenews.cn with "DMCA" in the subject line.
7.4 Other jurisdictions: complaints from users in Hong Kong, Singapore and the European Union are handled under the procedures of the applicable local copyright law (the Hong Kong Copyright Ordinance, the Singapore Copyright Act, the EU Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market, etc.).
Article 8 – Trademarks and other marks
8.1 The name "TREE NEWS", its logo, marks and related design elements are trademarks or trade dress of the Platform or its rights holders and may not be used without written permission.
8.2 Nothing in this notice grants any licence in respect of trademarks, trade names or trade dress.
Article 9 – Governing law and disputes
9.1 The interpretation and application of this notice are governed by the law of the jurisdiction in which the Platform's operator is located, namely the law of the People's Republic of China. For claims by rights holders outside mainland China, mandatory provisions of the law of their own jurisdiction prevail.
9.2 Copyright disputes shall first be resolved through friendly negotiation. Failing that, they shall be submitted to the competent people's court in the jurisdiction in which the Platform's operator is located, except for DMCA procedures, which are conducted under United States law.
9.3 This notice is published in Chinese and English. In the event of any inconsistency between the two versions, the Chinese version prevails.
Article 10 – Effect and amendment
10.1 This notice takes effect on publication.
10.2 The Platform may amend this notice in accordance with law. Amended text will be published on the Platform with an updated version number.
Annex – Republication licence request form
To request a licence to republish the Platform's original content, complete the information below and send it to tree@treenews.cn with "Republication licence request" in the subject line. Requests are processed within 7 business days. Licences are granted by written email confirmation or a licence letter.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Applicant (organisation / individual) | |
| Contact person and contact details | |
| Platform / channel where content will be republished | |
| List of content to be republished (title / link / number of items) | |
| Purpose (non-commercial / commercial) | |
| Expected republication date and duration | |
| Will the content be edited or compiled? | |
| Undertakings | I agree to comply with the Copyright & Reprints notice; to retain the source, credits, AI labels and links; not to edit in a distorting manner; and to obtain separate authorisation for any use beyond the licensed scope. |