An intellectual property rights mediation center was founded on July 13 in Yiwu, China’s major commodities trading center in Zhejiang province. Co-sponsored by the local court and a number of government administrations and industry associations, the center offers free mediation services to involved parties in IP disputes in Yiwu. The mediation results have the same legal effect as court rulings. The mechanism will not only save costs, but also increase efficiency, compared with filing a lawsuit. Officials at the center explained that when the court receives a lawsuit, it sends an indictment to the defendant, who has 30 days to prepare a reply to the charge, and IP lawsuits usually last about 70 days before a verdict is released. In contrast, if the center receives a complaint, it starts mediation within a week and the process lasts no more than a month. If no conciliation is reached within 30 days, the center will transfer the case to the court. The center received 10 cases during a trial operation that started in early July, eight of which ended in successful mediation, the China Daily reports. The court of Yiwu received 1,022 IP-related civil lawsuits in 2014, more than 20 times the number in 2008.