China steps up crackdown on ‘illegal’ publications, ‘unauthorised news’

BEIJING - China has launched a crackdown on websites, online stores, mobile applications and social media that distribute pirated or illegal publications. The State newsagency Xinhua says the  nationwide campaign aims to protect the intellectual property rights of publications of the press, publication and media industry, and of e-commerce platforms and mobile applications.

Xinhua says the campaign involves a severe crackdown on distribution of illegal films and videos via online disks, applications, WeChat and Weibo messaging applications and forums, as well as unauthorised transmission of news items via websites, mobile applications and official accounts on WeChat.

Severe measures will be taken against application stores and providers that release and distribute unauthorised news items, literature, films, videos and music.

The campaign will also strengthen supervision on big e-commerce platforms, and crack down on online stores that sell pirated books, videos, accounts and passwords of online disks, and links to pirated publications. www.webershandwick.cn (ATI).