QVOD denies being ‘occupied’ by police

Shenzhen QVOD Technology Co, owner of one of China's most popular video player software, -denied rumors saying that the local police had occupied the company Tuesday.

A short statement from the company refuted that police took over the company's office and arrested an employee, but admitted that some police visited the firm Tuesday morning to collect information.

According to the statement, the company is currently in normal operation.

News portal qq.com reported earlier Tuesday the local police went to QVOD's head office in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, for "investigation," which was part of the Chinese government's recent campaign against pornography and illegal publications.

QVOD, an aggregate video player which allows users to watch and download videos sourced from other websites, has been widely used as tool for users to see pornography and pirated films and TV shows.

Rumors started to circulate online Tuesday morning, claiming that "a large number of police officers sealed the company's computers" and "held all the employees, who were not allowed to use their mobile phones and computers."

In an e-mail sent to employees Tuesday, Wang Xin, CEO of the company, said, "Don't worry. The company is fine," according to qq.com's report.

On April 17, QVOD announced it will block users from downloading pirated videos and videos that have vulgar content. The firm will also adopt a new business model of purchasing copyrighted content as well as making original videos.

Experts said QVOD is likely to have been forced to make the change due to the pressure from the government and the market.