BEIJING, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Stronger software copyright protection and better regulation are needed as the software industry has stepped into almost every aspect of the national economy, a senior Chinese official said Wednesday.

"China will promote the use of authentic software and beef up protection of software copyright in the age of the internet," said Minister of Industry and Information Technology Li Yizhong while attending an industry forum in Beijing.

China will crack down on copyright abuse and firms' anti-competitive behavior in accordance with the law, Li said.

China's software industry has maintained rapid growth in recent years.

The sector's revenue hit 997 billion yuan (146 billion U.S. dollars) in 2009, up 25.6 percent year on year and 16 times the 2000 level.

Li encouraged traditional industries to be creative and further integrate with the software industry.

He said technological progress and innovation are required to strengthen the software sector and to allow the sector to play a greater role in boosting social and economic development.

The sector's revenue totaled 362.6 billion yuan in the first four months of 2010, up 28.7 percent compared to the same period last year, according to figures released Tuesday by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
                                                                                                             Source: Xinhua