Officials from the National Copyright Administration of China say they have taken timely and effective measures to curb violations of Olympic related intellectual property rights.

Vice director of the NCAC, Yan Xiaohong, told reporters that illegal broadcasts of the Beijing Olympic competitions are occurring both at home and abroad. He says that his administration has strengthened monitoring measures to crack down on these infringements.

"During the following three days after the opening ceremony, there were 1,600 cases of illegal communication of Olympic competition in the world. The figure in China is about 100. We have cracked down on each of them within two hours or even 20 minutes at the fastest."

Yan Xiaohong added that the NCAC has worked closely with copyright holders and users in the fight against copyright infringements. He stressed that collective measures should be taken in order to protect intellectual property rights.

In addition, he said his administration will continue to take a hard line in tackling unlawful communication of the Beijing Olympics.

Xu Chao is deputy head of the managing department.

"As soon as we find a website illegally communicating the Beijing Olympic games, we will issue a warning to it. Moreover, we will urge it to stop the activity. If needed, further punishments may be introduced."