Netease, one of China's leading internet portals, has suspended its online music search service over concerns about copyright piracy, a move that could create pressure on other leading internet companies such as newly listed Baidu.com to follow suit.

Music companies have complained that “MP3” search services offered by Chinese portals and search websites promote the distribution of unlicensed content by making it easy for users to find and download songs from other sites - an argument Netease has now accepted.