Even microbloggers have intellectual property (IP) rights that must be protected, said Zhang Chaoyang, the CEO of Sohu.com, a major microblog provider in China.

Because the core competitiveness of the media industry is its content, Sohu has formulated a policy to protect copyrights for microblogs on its site, Zhang said.

On Jan 1, Sohu introduced a contract system for microbloggers that provides legal services for fighting copyright infringement and supporting publication of books and videos.

(Source: China Daily)