The unauthorized broadcast of Olympic events and related activities by Internet media and mobile platforms will have serious consequences, it was announced at a press conference on Monday.

The move will be a key point in China's efforts to address potential Internet piracy problems in 2008 and the National Copyright Administration will curb any unauthorized video broadcast of the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay by websites whose major business is video broadcasting, it was noted at a joint press conference of the National Copyright Administration, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.

In a joint public notice, the government agencies urged enhanced supervision over internet websites and mobile platforms, concerted measures to investigate and treat infringement cases seriously and quickly, and actions to affix responsibility for suspected criminal activities.

It was announced also that the right to broadcast the competition events and related activities of the Games of the 29th Olympiad in the Chinese mainland and Macao by new media (internet and mobile platforms) has been awarded exclusively to the China Central Television (CCTV) by the International Olympic Committee; anyone else who wants to use audio-video program signals of the Olympic events and activities must obtain approval from CCTV.

(BOCOG July 7, 2008)