Chinese Internet writers and enterprises on Sunday put forward a proposal, denouncing plagiarism and copyright infringement targeting online literature.

The proposal, which was issued by 16 entrepreneurs and four representatives of Internet writers in Beijing, calls for legal protection of online literature, as well as propelling the integration of China’s online novels, gaming, TV, and animation industries forward, in an effort to promote Chinese culture abroad.

After 20 years of development, online literature has become an important cultural industry in China. According to a report released by China Internet Network Information Center in January, the user scale of online literature was 297 million in China in 2015, accounting for 43.1 percent of all users and representing a year-on-year growth of 2.89 million. Online literature has received a great deal of attention from Internet giants in the past year, with Baidu, Tencent, and Alibaba rushing to establish their own departments dedicated to it.

The booming industry has also become a hotbed for plagiarism. In August, Tang Qi, a famous web-based novel writer whose books has been adapted into a blockbuster TV series in 2017, was reported by many internet users for plagiarism in August. The incident has shown the insufficient legal support for original writers online, as currently there is no specific law targeting online plagiarism.

According to the proposal, five enterprises featuring online literature will start a campaign to encourage better online novels, while the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and Television will support good online literature works, as well as their possible adaptation into movies, games, or animation.