Motion Picture Association of America Chairman Dan Glickman said the WTO decision "points a way forward that will begin to even the playing field" in an important market. He noted that the Chinese system for distributing U.S. films to Chinese audiences is among the most restrictive and burdensome in the world and the ruling, coupled with a recent announcement that the Chinese government intends to lower market access thresholds for the cultural industry, may be an opening movie studios have been seeking.

Recording Industry Association of America Executive Vice President Neil Turkewitz said the fact that the United States has prevailed does not mean that China has lost. "The adoption of rules that enhance the operation of legitimate markets will inure greatly to the benefit of the Chinese creative community and to Chinese society," he said. Chinese and U.S. creators alike face illicit enterprises that claim at least 80 percent of the physical market and an estimated 99 percent of the online market.