BEIJING, June 27 (Bernama) -- A treaty to protect the intellectual property rights of film and television performers was successfully signed by some member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), including China and the United States, here on Tuesday.

The treaty was signed during the Diplomatic Conference on the Protection of Audiovisual Performances, which was attended by 156 WIPO member states, six intergovernmental organizations and 45 non-governmental organisations.

Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan sent his congratulatory message on the success of the conference, saying the signing of the "Beijing Treaty" was an important outcome of the event.

"Under the national strategy of intellectual property which has been implemented in recent years, China has strengthened the creation, adoption, protection and management of intellectual property, and has made significant progress," Wang said.

Director-General of the WIPO Francis Gurry said at the closing ceremony of the conference that he was looking forward to the treaty, enjoying rapid and widespread adoption, around the world.

The Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances was adopted to protect the economic rights of film actors and other performers, and ensure that they could get extra income from their work.

It will enable them to share proceeds with producers for revenue generated internationally by audiovisual productions.