Chinese police recorded a total number of 1,799 cases involving intellectual property rights (IPR) violations in 2005, up 51.9 percent over 2004, Wu Heping, spokesman of the Ministry of Public Security, said in Beijing Thursday.

"The rapid increase in such cases can be attributed to the government's enhanced efforts to crack down on IPR violations following China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) and citizens' growing awareness of the importance of intellectual property protection," said Wu in an interview with Xinhua, adding that police authorities accepted an increasing number of reports on IPR violations from the general public in 2005.

China has established a full-fledged legal system for IPR protection. Each year, Chinese courts hear 15,000 IPR-related cases and put more than 400 criminals in prison for IPR violations. The figures are higher than in most countries in the world.

Source: Xinhua