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BEIJING, Nov. 23-- China is set to impose severe punishments in intellectual property right (IPR) infringement and counterfeiting cases. "Penalties for IPR infringements will be increased and the cost of safeguarding such rights will be lowered," according to a statement following a State Council executive meeting Wednesday. It is a significant move to demonstrate the government's determination to safeguard IPR, which is crucial to innovation, new growth and optimizing allocation of resources. "Quick and low-cost ways of safeguarding IPR must be expanded," the statement said. At the same time, the government plans to establish a punitive fine system for property right infringements and step up law enforcement and judicial protection. "A normalized mechanism needs to be built so as to protect the IPR in a comprehensive and law-based manner," according to Li Shuguang, a professor at China University of Political Science and Law. Data from the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) showed that in the first half of 2017, there were 15,411 national patent administrative law enforcement cases, an increase of 23.3 percent from the same period a year ago. "With the deepening of reform, the cost gap between innovation and safeguarding rights has been reversed fundamentally," Li said. IPR protection will be improved using real-time monitoring, Internet tracing of sources, and online identification of infringements, according to the statement. | 
