China’s SwordNet 2026: Nationwide Anti-Piracy Campaign Launched

Launched on June 1, 2026 by four Chinese regulatory authorities, SwordNet 2026 marks the 22nd round of China’s special campaign against online copyright infringement. This initiative will run through November, targeting prominent piracy issues across the digital landscape.

The campaign focuses on four key areas: unauthorized distribution of films and TV dramas, illegal dissemination of sports event footage, pirated courses in online education, and copyright violations involving AI-generated content. Regulators will crack down on infringing activities on cloud storage platforms, search engines and live-streaming sites, including unlicensed content sharing and the unauthorized use of copyrighted works for AI model training.

For overseas rights holders, this special campaign serves as an excellent opportunity to protect your intellectual property. Should you identify any copyright infringement, we encourage you to file complaints proactively with the relevant Chinese authorities. Leveraging the momentum of this initiative, official agencies will pay closer attention to submitted complaints and mete out stricter penalties to infringers.