The number of new software copyright registrations that China received last year has reached more than 164,300, a clear indication that Chinese software firms are now more aware about the country's intellectual property rights law.

According to a report released by the Copyright Protection Center of China, the number of software copyright registrations in 2013 was 18 percent higher from the number of registrations received in 2012.

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The report also showed that China's eastern regions saw the most number of registrations, accounting for 65.83 percent of last year's total. Software copyright registrations in central and western regions also increased by 25 percent and 33 percent, respectively, data showed.

Beijing leads in China with 41,721 software copyright registrations followed by Guangdong with 26,530 registrations and Shanghai with 14,991 registrations last year. Tibet, Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regions also ranked high in terms of growth.

The registration of software copyrights started in China in 1992 as the government seeks ways to protect the rights of software developers in the country.

Meanwhile, the National Copyright Administration said copyright registrations for creative works, which include art, literature and photography, also increased in 2013.

The administration said China received a total of 845,065 registrations for such works last year, up 22.9 percent from 2012.

One administration official said the rise in the number of copyright registrations only showed that artists, writers, photographers and other copyright holders are becoming more aware about the importance of intellectual property rights.

The administration is expected to soon launch an online platform that will make it easier and faster to register copyrights.