Courts across China accepted and adjudicated 3,250 criminal intellectual Property Rights (IPR) violation cases during the first 11 months last year, up 28.21 percent from the same period of 2004, said Vice President Cao Jianming of the Supreme People's Court in Beijing on Thursday.

Cao said the quality and efficiency of trial on IPR violation cases were further improved in 2005. During the first 11 months, China's courts tried and concluded 12,700 civil IPR violation cases at first instance, up 26.94 percent from the same period of the previous year. In 53.38 percent of the cases, noted Cao, plaintiff withdrew their charges after the mediation by courts, and the courts only received 41 retrial applications on IPR violation cases in the year.

Xiao Yang, the country's top judge and president of the Supreme People's Court said in his address to a national conference attended by the heads of province-level courts that the fight against IPR violation had to be intensified in future so as to create a favorable legal environment for independent innovation.

The intellectual fruits of technicians, authors and high-tech enterprises should be further protected in the years ahead and internet-related IPR protection be enhanced, Xiao said. For example, disputes on domain names and trademarks should be resolved on time and judicial interpretations on issues relating to unfair competition, plant varieties protection and music TV be stipulated in time, Xiao said.
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(Xinhua News Agency January 6, 2006)