Chinese police have seized half a million pirated DVDs in one month in an effort to curb piracy, said the Ministry of Public Security on Tuesday.

From July 17 to 26, police in Tianjin Municipality discovered and destroyed six underground factories which produced pirated audio-video products and pirated computer software and seized 164,000 pirated DVDs, according to the ministry.

On July 15, police inspected an audio-video product wholesale market in Tianjin and arrested DVD seller Wang Yongming, seizing more than 8,300 pirated pornographic DVDs.

On July 27, police in Henan Province discovered and destroyed a pirated DVD warehouse, confiscating 350,000 pirated DVDs and more than 7,000 pornographic DVDs, the ministry said.

In the last month, police in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region arrested two suspects for producing and selling pirated English learning tapes for primary and middle schools and seized more than 30,000 pirated tapes from them.

(Xinhua News Agency August 16, 2006)