Chinese search engine Gougou.com has been shut down following a move by the US Trade Representative (USTR), which added the site into the report of major copyright offenders.
Gougou.com was run by Chinese web company Xunlei , and the BBC has reported that the firm had previously planned to float on one of the US stock exchanges.
The Gougou team said: "Gougou.com has been closed down. Thank you all for your support, and we are sorry for any inconvenience."
In its report, USTR said that Chinese site Taobao has worked with rights holders to significantly decrease the listing of infringing products for sale through its website, and has committed to continue working to streamline its complaint procedures to further reduce listings of counterfeit products.
"We encourage other Chinese online marketplaces to take similar actions to ensure the timely removal of listings for sales of pirated and counterfeit goods on their sites," the report said.
The US has removed Chinese website Sogou from the current list based on reports that it has also made notable efforts to work with rights holders to address the availability of infringing content on its site.
US Trade Representative Ron Kirk said: "Piracy and counterfeiting, including online sales of pirated and counterfeit goods, is a problem that hurts the U.S. economy, harms some of this nation’s most creative and innovative entrepreneurs and companies and threatens jobs for significant numbers of middle-class American workers."
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"We highlight the notorious markets that have a negative impact on legitimate businesses and industries of all sizes that rely on intellectual property to protect their goods and services," Kirk added.
