An international copyright exchange center was established yesterday in Yong He Plaza in Beijing to promote the development of China's copyright industry.

The center provides comprehensive copyright services to the public including legal advice, copyright evaluation and copyright licensing.

The center will improve the development of the cultural creative industry, effectively fight piracy and protect Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), said Beijing Deputy Mayor Cai Fuchao yesterday.

"As our copyright market is still in the primary stage, many problems exist. The establishment of the center will speed up the development of the copyright industry," said Yan Xiaohong, deputy minister of the National Copyright Administration (NCA).

Dongcheng district officials established a special fund for the cultural creative industry of 50 million yuan to attract cultural creative companies to join the center.

So far, influential companies and copyright agencies that have entered the center include China Audio-Video Copyright Association and Copyright Agency of China.

"In the coming three years, the center will become the most influential development zone of the copyright industry covering music, video, animation, games, software and other copyright fields," Cai said.

By Nov 24 of last year, courts nationwide tried 962 IPR cases, with 444 involving copyright and 243 involving trademark disputes, according to the Supreme People's Court.

(China Daily February 17, 2009)