328 IP infringement cases uncovered

SHANGHAI has uncovered 328 cases of intellectual property infringement involving more than 3 billion yuan (US$421 million) during the past two months in preparation for the second China International Import Expo, the Shanghai Intellectual Property Administration said yesterday.

It said a citywide campaign on CIIE intellectual property protection began on August 1.

So far, checks on more than 600 stores and individuals had revealed 176 cases related to trademarks, patents and geographical indications.

A police team tackling food and drug intellectual property cases had uncovered 83 criminal cases which led to the apprehension of some 300 suspects.

Around the

National Day holiday, officers cracked down on a series of crimes of counterfeiting luxury goods, wine and electronic devices.

The city’s higher court issued opinions and a guideline on enhancing intellectual property protection and handling intellectual-property-related crimes.

It signed a cooperation agreement with the higher courts in Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces and set up an regional annual consultation system to protect intellectual property in the Yangtze River Delta for the CIIE.

Shanghai Customs, which set up a new office for CIIE, has seized more than 1,000 items suspected of intellectual property infringement and worth about 500,000 yuan.

The city’s culture and tourism authority has checked related companies, venues and websites 2,693 times and seized more than 14,000 illegal publications, it said.