Judicial organs report on work to protect IP rights

Prosecutors initiated lawsuits against about 13,000 people for the infringement of trademarks, patents, copyrights and business secrets in 2022, an increase of 51.2 percent over 2018 according to the annual work report of the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

The report was delivered by procurator-general Zhang Jun to the ongoing first session of the 14th National People's Congress for deliberation on Tuesday.

The SPP and 29 provincial-level procuratorates have set up IPR procuratorial agencies with professional personnel, and the agency can coordinate resources from criminal, civil, administrative and public interest litigation departments to carry out IP protection.

It also worked with the China National Intellectual Property Administration and National Copyright Administration to set up a protection mechanism and supervise the handling of major IPR infringement cases.

Prosecutors handled 937 civil administrative litigation cases involving IP last year, 6.7 times that of 2018.

The SPP also carried out a special operation against maliciously using intellectual property rights cases to seek illegal gains.

According to the annual work report of the Supreme People's Court, which was delivered by SPC President Zhou Qiang on the same day, over the past five years courts nationwide concluded 2.19 million intellectual property cases in the first trial, up 221.1 percent compared with the previous five years.

Courts have also strengthened the judicial protection of IP to motivate innovation, and intensified the protection of major core technologies, emerging industries and key fields.

The courts also used more punitive measures for IPR infringement. In 2022, the amount of punitive compensation for IPR infringement cases increased 153 percent compared with 2018.