A total of 101 websites signed a declaration yesterday promising to facilitate the protection of Internet-related intellectual property rights amid the country's stepped-up efforts to curb widespread piracy.

In the declaration, these websites vowed to "insist on the principle of acquiring copyrights before release, not spreading non-licensed works and "adopting necessary techniques to prevent users from uploading films and TV programs that are being publicly screened or broadcast.

These websites "should actively communicate with copyrights owners and related associations to establish a new system of authorization suitable to the Internet environment," according to the declaration.

Signers of the declaration include Web portals and sites for video-sharing, music, games, literature, e-commerce and BBS websites, including sina.com, youku.com, top100.cn and tianya.cn.

"The film industry has been the biggest victim of Internet-related violation of copyrights. The signing of this declaration has shown some hope to Chinese filmmakers," said Zhu Yongde, president of the China Film Copyright Association (Collective).

According to a survey by the association, 47 percent of Chinese film audiences watch films on the Internet, most of which are not legally licensed.

"The Internet is a more efficient way of transmission compared to traditional forms. We hope to cooperate with various websites to develop a model that is beneficial to both sides," Zhu said.

(Source: China Daily)