q. hands up if you ever had employers really take the pi55 with what they think they are entitled too. who think you are their property

sb asked, when was china feudal? some still behave that way now.

@cloudtrapezer wrote: "You come to China and get relatively well paid for jobs that aren't exactly like working down the pit but spend half your lives complaining."

I am not complaining about my own situation. Rather, I am irritated by the general cavalier attitude among you and others about something very basic: property rights.

@herenow: "a musician takes a job performing for a venue, and then they proceed to perform some songs they had previously written, those songs become the property of the venue"

Songs don't, but the performances may. That is why many concerts and other art shows ban recording, even photos. Only reason they often allow low quality mobile phones etc, is because it serves as free marketing.

Professional musicians generally have extensive legal documents accompanying their performance contract with a venue. It's all in there.

The venues may sell the recorded performances to new audiences, if not covered in the contract.

And as I suggsted earlier, in many cases the songs don't belong to those musicians anyway, but to the record labels they are signed for.

In communist China, I have understood, all musical creations belonged to the state. That's what the people had "signed for" by accepting the communist rule.

Dazzer. There was a huge debate in China in the 1930s on whether China was ever really feudal or was another type of social formation variously called oriental despotism etc. etc. It was very complicated.

I would also add, that when an average teacher prepares a lesson plan, I suspect that much of the possibly included audiovisual material that may accompany it is NOT made by themselves, nor may most be aware of the copyright implications of using said material.

HereNow - I agree with you that someone who produces content should have the rights to it. But under capitalism, the product of workers' labour, whether physical or intellectual - news articles, lesson plans etc. belongs to the employer and this is usually made explicit in employment contracts. Some academic publishing houses even appropriate the copyright of books although this is less common. It's unfair but the way of the world - or at least the system. I agree with you that preexisting stuff probably belongs to you but I'm not a lawyer.

@JanJal wrote "Songs don't [become the property of the performance venue], but the performances may."

Yes, that's my understanding as well.

Going back to the original OP question, no I don't think they have relaxed the requirements. It is just the schools that have become desperate giving that summer school is almost here and they need teachers.

At last a rescue mission! Thank you Liumingke!