China issued a judicial interpretation on crimes of spreading obscene content via Internet, mobile WAP sites or telephone information service as the country has intensified its crackdown on online porn.

China issues judicial interpretation to clamp down on online porn

The legal document, announced by China's Supreme People's Court (SPC) and the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) Wednesday and to be effective Thursday, further clarified crimes involving producing, replicating, publishing, selling and spreading pornographic and vulgar information.

It says that producing, replicating, publishing, selling or spreading obscene electronic information (video) involving minors aged under 14 via Internet or mobile WAP sites will be recognized as a crime.

Those producing, replicating, publishing, selling or spreading 10 porn videos or above for profit will face up to three years in jail if convicted.

The offenders may even face life imprisonment if the number of porn videos involved was huge and the consequences were particularly serious, according to the document.

Telecommunication business operators and Internet service providers will face charges if they provide Internet access and server hosting services to porn websites for profit.

A previous judicial interpretation on crimes of online porn was issued by the SPC and the SPP in 2004.