A Chinese culture official called for an all-out war against piracy on Friday, saying the ongoing 100-day crackdown had been "fruitful," but the overall situation was "not optimistic."

Zhang Xinjian, an official with the Ministry of Culture, said: "We have to wage an all-out war against producers, shop owners and peddlers of pirated products."

China's culture authorities have been searching for pirated CDs, VCDs and computer software in audio-video shops and warehouses all over the country in a 100-day campaign that started on July 14.

"The fight against piracy has proved fruitful, as several major piracy cases have been cracked. More than 100,000 pirated DVDs have been seized in each case," Zhang said.

The ministry has urged culture officials all over the country to thoroughly examine every audio-video shop, said Zhang.

Local authorities must also keep operating the 24-hour anti-piracy hotline, which can be reached by calling "12318," to receive information from the public, he added.

(Xinhua News Agency August 19, 2006)