China will launch nationwide campaigns to crack down on copyright infringement on the internet.

The General Administration of Press and Publication and National Copyright Administration recently announced that the government will take strong actions against violators so as to protect intellectual property rights.

As internet usage has soared in recent years, online downloading has become a major channel for internationally pirated videos and net games to enter the Chinese cultural market. These actions seriously violate the legal interests of copyright owners.

A recent lawsuit against the leading Chinese search engine Baidu for providing free music downloads has bared only the tip of the iceberg of online copyright infringement in China.

The companies including Universal, Warner, EMI and Sony BMG are suing the Nasdaq-listed Baidu whose MP3 search technology provide links to websites which allegedly allows users to illegally download copyrighted music.

The companies are suing Baidu for allegedly infringing the copyright of 137 songs and are seeking 1.67 million yuan (US$206,000) in compensation.

(Xinhua News Agency October 11, 2005)