Chinese search engines are being sued after ignoring copyright laws on music downloads. This isn’t new or surprising news because China is a bit of a free-for-all when it comes to copyright issues.

According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), an association representing the recording industry worldwide, over 99 percent of all music files distributed in China is pirated. And of course, most movies and software in China are pirated too. While this is business as usual, and the record companies are trying to reign things in.

First, the biggest search engine in China Baidu, is being sued by three music industry giants. They’ll be up against Universal Music, Sony BMG Music Entertainment (Hong Kong), and Warner Music Hong Kong. They companies are asking a court in Beijing to order Baidu to remove all links to their music.

Internet Retailer reports this month that more and more online retailers are outsourcing their calls. In fact, they predict that spending on outsourced contact centers will almost double within a few years.

In our experience with call centers, I have learned the hard way that you should be cautious, very cautious when choosing one. Here are some things we have learned over the years:

1) Place a lot of test orders. Your business reputation is on the line with agents that probably could not care less. You had better check up on them a lot. When you call and place test orders, you will be amazed by some call center agents–amazed that anyone can be that stupid. Just remember that those people are reflecting on your brand.