Q1 figures show China strengthening IPR protection
April 27, 2021 Category China News Round-up, Weekly
China has strengthened the protection of intellectual property rights (IPRs) and stepped up efforts to crack down on crimes such as infringement and counterfeiting. In the first three months of this year, police nationwide resolved more than 3,800 cases of IPR infringement and counterfeiting, arresting about 8,200 suspects, according to the Ministry of Public Security (MPS). From 2016 to 2020, police across the country cracked more than 90,000 such cases, involving about CNY47 billion. More than 130,000 suspects were arrested. Prior to World Intellectual Property Day on April 26, the national leading group of fighting IPR infringements and counterfeits destroyed CNY700 million worth of infringing and counterfeit commodities in 16 provincial-level regions in the country. Lyu Wuqin, Director of the Ministry’s Food and Drug Crime Investigation Bureau, said IPR infringement and counterfeits disrupt market order, endanger people’s health and vital interests, and also impede scientific and technological progress. “Public security authorities are treating the legitimate rights and interests of all domestic and foreign enterprises in an equal manner, and have received letters of gratitude from many enterprises,” he said.
During last year’s Kunlun 2020 – an operation launched in May targeting IPR infringement and counterfeiting – about 25% of the clues to resolve 21,000 cases were provided by industrial regulators and administrative departments. Last week the MPS launched a new Kunlun 2021 operation to target infringement in fields including food and drugs, children’s products, copyrights, technological innovations and business secrets. Li Jiantao, Deputy Director of the Bureau, said the number of infringement cases is still large and they cover a wider range. Such illegal activities have gradually moved online and are better-organized with clear divisions of labor, he said.
In a typical case, police in Zhejiang province resolved a case of infringement of film and television copyright in February. The 19 suspects were accused of recording and spreading several movies shown during China’s Spring Festival. The suspects recorded the movies in the theater, showing them in their movie bars to earn profits, or contacted buyers through social media platforms and sold the films, according to the police. At the invitation of Interpol, Chinese police have also participated in a number of joint international law enforcement operations, the China Daily reports.
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