China launches nationwide anti-piracy film campaign

A nationwide campaign against pirated movies has been launched in China ahead of the upcoming Spring Festival holiday, authorities announced on Tuesday.

The campaign, jointly carried out by the National Copyright Administration, the China Film Administration, the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Cultural and Tourism, aims to strengthen film copyright protection, maintain order in the film market and foster a healthy viewing environment.

Authorities released a warning list of key films under copyright protection and pledged to intensify offline inspections and online monitoring. They said they will crack down on illegal activities such as covert recording in cinemas, unauthorized distribution and the sale of infringing and pirated intellectual property derivative products in accordance with the law.

Stricter oversight will be imposed in cases involving young people being drawn into illegally recording films, with internet platforms urged to take greater responsibility for reviewing uploaded content, the authorities said.

They also called for stronger efforts to promote integration and upgrading in the film industry, enhance copyright education and raise public awareness of respecting intellectual property rights.