Baidu apologizes over copyright dispute

On March 15, 2011, China's Consumer Rights Day, 50 writers published an open letter accusing Baidu of infringing on their copyright by offering copies of their works on its website.

After negotiations between Chinese writers and search engine giant Baidu collapsed, on March 27, Baidu said, "Sorry to hurt some writers' feelings," in a statement and promised to remove all un-copyrighted works from its website.

However, writers who considered the apology insincere wouldn't accept it. Writer Su Xiaolan said, "The statement is very vague without admitting infringement on rights." Screenwriter Wang Hailing said what has been hurt is not feelings but benefits. Others deem it "a strategy under pressure."