The Chinese government started a nationwide campaign against copyright infringement on the Internet, "a rising and urgent problem in China", a senior official said on July 4.

Apart from illegally providing music, videos and books in digital form without authorization, the online trade of pirated software, books and audio-visual products will also be a main target of the campaign, according to Yu Cike, director of the copyright department of the National Copyright Administration.

The crackdown, which runs from July to November, is organized by the NCA, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and China Internet Information Center.

The public is also encouraged to be involved in the crackdown. Those who report infringement will receive up to 10,000 yuan ($1,580).