A Chinese National Copyright Administration (NCA) operation has made “great achievements” in fighting piracy, according to officials.

Operation Jianwang, a five-month campaign against online piracy, has run annually since 2005 and targets unauthorised streaming, downloading and the sale of literature, film, TV and music.

In cooperation with local governments and law enforcement, the NCA investigated 514 administrative cases of online piracy from July to November 2016, shutting down 290 illegal websites.

Fines totalling RMB 4.67 million ($672,200) were issued over the period and more than 30 of the cases, valued at RMB 200 million ($29 million) in total, were transferred to courts for criminal prosecution.

In one case, a Beijing-based cultural company sold pirated books through the Taobao marketplace.

Police seized more than 8,000 copies of books and uncovered RMB 4 million ($576,800) in sales.

Yan Xiaohong, deputy director of the NCA, said at a meeting in Beijing that online piracy has “severely harmed the interests of original copyright holders, misled consumers and tarnished our country’s image in the intellectual property sector”.

“Despite the fruitful operation, we shall keep our strong stance against infringements and work closely with relevant internet scrutiny and law enforcement departments to deter piracy.”

Source: IPProTheInternet.com