China has launched a nationwide campaign to eliminate illegal online mapping services, with the country’s mapping bureau calling for the punishment of violators, according to a local report. Chinese news websiteXinhuareported that the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping is working with 13 governmental agencies in a nationwide campaign to address illegal online mapping services in the country. The government official said major violations included “unauthorized disclosure of confidential information on the maps, and mistakes in drawing the country’s border, especially on islands and coastal areas....

When we think pirated DVDs, China is the first to come in mind. However, this just might change asChina Dailyreports that the campaign to protect Internet intellectual property rights (IPR) will strengthen its efforts by targeting online piracy. Wang Ziqiang, spokesman for the National Copyright Administration, defined the Internet as a major battleground for IPR protection campaign. Although their copyright laws covered Internet IPR back in 2001, he mentioned that the rapid development of computer technology has outdated the current legal systems with regards to Internet IPR....

China Telecom, China’s state-owned telecommunications company, has announced its plans to introduce a mobile payment service to its 3G subscribers, allowing them to pay bills or transfer money using their mobile phones, reportsChina Tech News. The service can be initially be availed by subscribers in Beijing by changing their SIM cards to a mobile payment card called the User Identity Model (UIM) for free. It is a special SIM card developed by China Telecom and China UnionPay, which would upgrade their phones into payment terminals without affecting existing services; no hardware upgrade needed....

According to a report by the Southern Metropolis Daily, China’s third largest mobile operating China Telecom has begun preparations for sales of Apple’s upcoming iPhone 5, training staff to accept orders for the phone at the end of September. Sources have indicated that the carrier has already announced availability of the device at one of its stores, with official sales beginning in October. The operator, now bigger than Verizon Wireless and the world’s biggest CDMA carrier, is predicted to sell more than a million next-generation iPhones by the end of 2011....

China Telecom, China’s state-owned telecommunications company, plans to offer Apple’s popular iPhone in China before the year ends, reportsReuters. An anonymous source close to the company told Reuters: “It’s expected to happen this year. China Telecom already has the required technology and it all hinges on content of the agreement. As we all know, it’s not easy to negotiate with Apple.” If true, this makes China Telecom the second operator to do so in the world’s largest mobile phone market, following China Unicom....