BEIJING -- A draft amendment to China's Copyright Law was submitted to the country's top legislature for a second reading on Saturday.

The latest draft improves the definition of works as mentioned in this law, stipulating that the term "works" refers to intellectual achievements that are original and can be expressed in certain forms in literature, art, science and other fields.

The draft amendment will be discussed at the 21st session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress, which runs till Aug. 11.

To better balance the protection of copyright and the public interest, the draft moderately expands the legal scope of the fair use of relevant works without permission or payment of remuneration to the copyright owners.

The Copyright Law was put into effect in 1991 and amended in 2001 and 2010.