China plans to improve the transparency of intellectual property
rights (IPR) trials by allowing foreigners to sit in, a senior
official said on Wednesday.
Envoys of foreign governments and representatives of
international organizations will be allowed to attend IPR trials if
they wish, said Jiang Zengwei of the State Office of Intellectual
Property Protection, quoting an action plan.
The country will publicize important trial information through
the media, according to the plan released on Monday.
This is the first time China has allowed overseas
representatives into public IPR trials, an official from the
Supreme People's Court told Xinhua.
Diplomatic envoys and representatives of overseas companies
involved in IPR disputes had been invited to trials in coastal
regions like south China's Guangdong Province and east China's Shanghai
in recent years, he said.
"It works pretty well," he added.
IPR violators generally receive fines instead of jail sentences,
which helps explain why there are so many IPR infringements in
China, experts say. IPR cases have been increasing by almost 50
percent per year.
Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi said on March 27 that the government
would further improve the IPR protection system, strengthen law
enforcement, and enhance cooperation with other countries.
From 2002 to 2006, China's courts settled a total of 931 IPR
violation cases in first instance trials. The figure for 2006 was
353 cases, up 52 percent on the previous year, according to the
Supreme People's Court.
(Xinhua News Agency April 5, 2007)