A recent survey conducted by Nanjing University indicates that most urban Chinese know piracy is illegal but do not feel guilty about buying pirated products.

The survey, supported by the China National Social Science Foundation, involved 552 urban residents in Nanjing, the capital of east China's Jiangsu Province.

The majority of those surveyed agreed that bootleg goods could jeopardize the publishing industry and more than 90 percent said it was necessary to crack down on unauthorized publications.

However, 31.3 percent of those polled said piracy can never be stopped because of the special situation in China. About 7.8 percent strongly agreed on this point.

The survey also shows that 62 percent are unable to tell pirated goods from genuine articles. Twenty percent said there is no difference between the two.

Zhang Zhiqiang, head of Nanjing University's Science Publishing Institute, said the survey shows that most Chinese have mixed attitudes towards piracy.

The publishing industry and related government departments should encourage people to boycott pirated products, Zhang said.

(Xinhua News Agency February 17, 2005)