Campaign targets online piracy

A special nationwide campaign to crack down on online copyright infringement and piracy has been launched, the authorities announced on Wednesday.

The 2020 Sword Net campaign, jointly initiated by the National Copyright Administration, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security and the Cyberspace Administration of China, is the 16th special action targeting copyright infringement and piracy on the internet since 2005.

It will last four months, from June to October, and focus on five key areas in response to the emergence of some new problems.

The authorities will crack down severely on infringements related to short videos, illegal filming and recording in cinemas, and the spread of pirated film and television works through streaming media software.

They will also strengthen copyright supervision of e-commerce platforms by cracking down on the illegal use of pictures, music and videos, and will target online shops selling pirated books, audiovisual products, electronic publications, databases and network drive accounts.

Social media platforms will be urged to better protect the copyrights of news reports and images and online education material.

The authorities will continue to improve copyright protection for online music and knowledge-sharing platforms, and consolidate achievements related to online literature, animation, cloud services, app markets and online advertising.

The National Copyright Administration said the campaign will highlight the investigation and handling of cases and increase penalties for online copyright infringements and piracy.