Intellectual works prone to theft on Net

SHANGHAI - To many, the Internet is a boon because it gives them anonymity, an easy means of interacting with other computer users and a way to disseminate information quickly.

Those same attributes, though, have led to increasingly common and serious violations of intellectual property rights in Shanghai, according to a senior local judge.

The targets of many recent accusations of rights infringements have been the websites used in China to share videos with other Internet surfers. The sites make piracy easier by offering places where illegal materials can be stored and by posting links to sites where illegal materials can be found, according to Zheng Zhaofang, deputy head of Shanghai Municipal Higher People's Court.