BEIJING - China's software industry has registered strong output growth over the past ten years, soaring from 75 billion yuan ($11.6 billion) in 2001 to 1.3 trillion yuan in 2010, the National Copyright Administration said in a statement issued on Thursday.

The number of software patent applications filed during the period also increased significantly, going from about 500 in 2000 to more than 80,000 in 2010, according to the statement.

The administration partially attributed the growth of the software industry to the country's intensified crackdown on pirated software and copyright infringement.

The administration, as well as the ministries of commerce and finance, have promoted the use of authorized and genuine software in central government agencies since 2001.

Approximately 130 central government agencies have spent nearly 141 million yuan to purchase 176,700 legitimate copies of computer software as of May this year, according to the statement.