Anti-counterfeiting and protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) will receive priority attention from the central government this year, according to the Beijing-based National Office of Rectification and Standardization of Market Economic Order.

Beginning this year, the week of April 19-26 will see an annual national publicity campaign aimed at IPR protection, said Zhang Zhigang, the office's director and vice-minister of commerce.

Zhang said China has established a series of IPR protection laws with regulations governing patent, trademark and copyright as mainstays. These laws accord with the requirement of trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights codified by the World Trade Organization.

"Problems such as piracy, counterfeiting and business cheating exist because China is in a preliminary phase of market economy. We will unremittingly slash any illegal activities instead of shielding or dodging these problems,'' said Zhang.

The State Council began cracking down on counterfeit products in 2001.

Last year General Administration of Customs and State Press and Publication Administration launched a nationwide anti-piracy campaign, destroying a total of 42 million pirated compact discs and video compact discs. Some 182 underground disc production outlets were closed down.

Last October, authorities of industry and commerce in Beijing seized 59,000 items of clothing bearing bogus Nike and adidas trademarks.

Late last year a report from the Quality Brands Protection Committee of China Association for Foreign Investment Companies said the market share for faked products in China has dropped significantly from two years ago.

Since China joined the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property in 1985, the country's industrial and commercial departments have made great efforts to protect famous foreign trademarks, according to Zhao Gang, an official of State Administration for Industry and Commerce.

The country has approved 336 domestic and overseas trademarks since it implemented the Regulation for Evaluating and Managing Famous Trademarks in 1996.

Over the past seven years China's industrial and commercial departments have given great support to protect "Pizza Hut,'' "Marlboro'' "Sher-Wood'' and other famous foreign brands in their disputes with Chinese companies that intended to register similar trademarks, said Zhao.

(Xinhua News Agency April 8, 2004)