SHANGHAI, Jun 20 (AP) -- China is appealing for public help in stamping out product piracy, offering rewards of up to 300,000 yuan (US$36,000; €30,000) for tips on illegal video and audio factories.

The announcement of a piracy hot line for tipsters came as the government announced yet another round in its perennial campaign to combat rampant piracy of movies, music and other copyrighted materials, the state-run newspaper China Daily reported.

Illegal copies of pirated films are easily available from street peddlers just days after films are released overseas, often for as little as 6 yuan (70 U.S. cents; 60 euro cents) apiece.

It isn't the first time authorities have paid such rewards -- but the amounts have been increasing.

The latest campaign calls for rewards of between 150,000 yuan to 300,000 yuan (US$18,000-US$36,000; €15,000 to €30,000) for each illegal production line reported, the report said. Eight government ministries are involved in the latest crackdown.

The government says it shut down 200 illegal CD and DVD production lines from 1994 to 2004 and paid more than 40 million yuan (US$4.8 million; €4 million) in rewards to informers during that time.

"The Chinese government's commitment to protecting intellectual property rights is very serious," the report quoted Liu Binjie, deputy head of the National Office for Cracking Down on Pornography and Piracy, as saying. "We not only need to improve China's economic environment, but more importantly, we are eager to protect our nation's ability to innovate."

Liu cited a "growing trend" of piracy of famous domestic and international films and television series.

During Shanghai's recent international film festival, local authorities virtually swept pirated films -- usually available on almost every block -- off the streets. Many DVD and video shops were forced to close down, at least temporarily, during the crackdown.

But some shops were still reportedly conducting business on the sly.

Authorities are focusing anti-piracy efforts on elementary and middle schools, hoping to raise awareness about the issue.