China punishes copyright infringers

BEIJING - Copyright infringers were punished for up to 11 years imprisonment for pirating and selling pornographic publications last year, it was revealed Wednesday.

Offenders were given punishments ranging from 11 years in prison to a cash fine, according to the National Office Against Pornographic and Illegal Publications.

Among the 10 major cases in 2012, a person surnamed Huang was sentenced to 11 years in prison plus a fine of 30,000 yuan (about $4,800) for copyright infringement and selling porn products.

More than 40 million pieces of pirated publications have been confiscated nationwide and 5,331 cases relating to copyright infringement cracked since the beginning of 2012, the office said.

It also said local authorities have investigated 198 websites containing pornographic content over the past month, including the Apple's APP store.

Managers of these websites were warned and ordered to delete the illegal content and improve management, it said.