Holiday complaints

FOOD and catering, online consumption and Internet services were some of the biggest recipients of complaints during Spring Festival, the Shanghai Administration for Market Regulation said. It received more than 8,700 complaints and tip-offs via the consumer protection service hotline 12315 over the holiday. The staycation phenomenon led to rising consumption-related gripes, more than 100 related to nianyefan (Chinese New Year’s Eve dinner). Slow food delivery, food safety, failure to redeem coupons and booking disputes drew the ire of consumers. Online consumption accounted for 82 percent of complaints, most related to online shopping and entertainment.

CHINA plans to set up 20 more centers nationwide this year to offer quicker services and reduce duration and cost of intellectual property rights protection, according to the country’s IPR watchdog.

The plan to establish the centers is part of China’s efforts to strengthen IPR protection, the National Intellectual Property Administration said. So far, the country has established more than 60 IPR protection centers and fast IPR service centers, providing easy, efficient and low-cost assistance to market entities.

The IPR protection centers address difficulties in obtaining evidence and reduce processing time and costs involved in IPR disputes, while the fast IPR service centers are aimed at providing county-level industry clusters quick IPR review, verification and protection.