Wang Ziqiang, a spokesperson from the National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC), says China will soon issue new online copyright rules.

NCAC will issue the "Information Network Publishing Right Protection Rules" this year to better regulate unauthorized online publishing.

The new rules will stipulate that online publications can be republished without their authors' prior approval unless the authors have clearly stated that their works can not be used.

The new rules also say users should retain evidence when their copyrights are violated and process any claims with the copyright department for a resolution.

It is unclear what date the regulations will be issued, but they should be announced before June 2006.