Intellectual property officials nationwide gathered in Beijing yesterday to discuss how to further strengthen administrative enforcement, in a move to better protect domestic and international intellectual property rights (IPRs).

China has seen a rising number of IPR disputes over the past two years, prompting the State Intellectual Property Office to co-ordinate with other government departments to jointly enhance IPR protection, said the office's commissioner, Wang Jingchuan, during a patent administrative enforcement seminar which opened yesterday and will end today.

The Chinese Government has already listed IPR protection as a key area for regulating the market economy, Wang said.

He said local protectionism still exists and has largely impaired the innovation enthusiasm of researchers.

In a notice issued to local IPR inspectors this year, Wang's office urged them to crack down on violations at large commodity fairs, technological and investment exhibitions and look seriously at products concerning people's lives and health, such as medicines, food and construction materials.

Wang said the Chinese Government is resolute in enforcing IPR protection, in a bid to create a better environment for sustained economic development.

He called on regional intellectual property administrations to pay special attention to safeguard IPRs related to international co-operative programmes and Sino-foreign firms.

China has also intensified its IPR judicial enforcement over the past couple of years.

From January this year to November, courts across the country handled 5,750 IPR cases, up almost 25 per cent compared to the same period of last year, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Jiang Zhipei, with the Intellectual Property Tribunal of the Supreme People's Court, said China's courts have enhanced IPR enforcement since the country joined the World Trade Organization in 2001.

Beijing and Shanghai set up special tribunals for IPR disputes as early as 1993. The Supreme People's Court set up the Intellectual Property Tribunal in 1996. To date, supreme courts in 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions have IPR tribunals.

Jiang said people's courts across the country can hear cases regarding the protection of new species of plants, business secrets, computer software, copyright, and trademarks and patents, among others.

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