China and the United States signed in Beijing Wednesday a memorandum to jointly establish a coordinative mechanism to protect film copyrights, sources with the Chinese Ministry of Culture (MOC) said.

The memorandum was signed by the MOC, China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and the American Cinema Association (ACA), a senior official with the MOC said. The three organizations will regularly hold joint committees, exchange information on film and family video products, and make research into and join hands on combating pirated products.

The memorandum also strengthened the communication and information sharing between government and copyright holders, the official indicated. Every three months the ACA will submit to the Chinese government the specific information of the films produced by its member companies, and the Chinese government will launch a special campaign against their pirating.

(Xinhua News Agency July 14, 2005)