Dark days for online copyright violators

Progress was made during a four-month campaign to crack down on online copyright violations. On February 8, the National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC) released the 10 most typical examples of online copyright breaches in 2006.

The internet industry in China has developed rapidly in recent years, but online copyright violation is rampant. This seriously violates the legal rights and interests of copyright holders and leads to lots of conflict and dissention. To try to reduce occurrences of this problem, NCAC carried out a national campaign to crackdown on online copyright violations between September 2006 and January 2007. The aim of the campaign was to investigate and prosecute companies or individuals illegally spreading music, films, software and textbooks online. Authorities also cracked down on illegal game servers, and people spreading or developing computer viruses. During the campaign, 436 cases were investigated and/or prosecuted across China. In 361 cases, individuals or companies were charged with violating copyright laws. A total of 700,000 yuan was collected in penalties, 71 illegal servers were closed down, 205 websites were closed, and 6 cases were referred to judicial organs to investigate penal responsibilities.

By People's Daily Online