Chinese writers are targeting Apple's App Store, saying it is infringing on their copyrights by offering pirated e-book versions of their work.

A senior official of the China Written Works Copyright Society said on Monday that the organization "will do all it can" to support 22 writers' lawsuits accusing Apple of copyright infringement and demanding more than 23 million yuan ($3.6 million) in compensation.

"We have a strong team searching Apple applications that contain unauthorized book copies so we can get a general picture of the scale of the infringement," said Zhang Hongbo, deputy director-general of the organization.

"But it's just too many to count completely."

Zhang said his organizations of more than 500 writers will collect evidence of Apple's infringement on its members' copyrights and that it may disclose the information to the public and for administrative and legal authorities' action at appropriate time.

Apple's App Store provides paid and free software, including text and audio books, uploaded by third-party developers.

Insiders said all developers sign contracts with the company, which screens the contents of the applications and sells them, keeping 30 percent of the sales revenue. But there is no transparency in the amount of times an item has been downloaded.

Top: Copies of The Note of Ghoul line the shelves of the Beijing Books Building on Sunday. Bottom: An iPad screen displays a pirate version of The Note of Ghoul downloaded for free from the Apple App Store. [Photo/Xinhua]