ICP license (Abbreviation for Internet Content Provider; Chinese: ICP备案; pinyin: ICP bèi'àn; literally "ICP record") is a permit issued by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to permit China-based websites to operate in China. The ICP license numbers for Chinese websites can often be found on the bottom of the front webpage.
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This license regime was instated by the Telecommunications Regulations of the People's Republic of China (《中华人民共和国电信条例》) that was promulgated in September 2000.[1] By the letter of the law, all websites with their own domain name that operate inside China are required to obtain a license, and China-based Internet service providers are required to block the site if a license is not acquired within a grace period. Licenses are issued at the provincial level.
Operating from China is also a prerequisite for acquiring a license. Foreign companies such as Google, unable to acquire a ICP license on their own, often partner up with Chinese Internet companies to use the licenses of the Chinese company.[2][3]
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