In the first half of the year China prosecuted 1,076 cases of intellectual property rights infringement, said China's General Administration of Customs (GAC) in Beijing Tuesday.

 

Altogether 39 million fake items were seized with a total value of more than 68 million yuan (US$8.5 million), according to figures from the GAC.

 

Guangzhou customs on May 24 seized 108,000 bottles of counterfeit medicine from Hong Kong carrying the name Wong To Yick worth 1.89 million yuan. It was the biggest reported case involving imported fake goods in recent years.

 

According to the administration Xiamen customs in May seized 672 pieces of clothing for children suspected of illegally carrying the 2008 Olympic trademark mascots. The same violation was also discovered by Tianjin customs on 4,150 school bags being exported to Cameroon.

 

The GAC has launched a crackdown on the dispatch of counterfeit goods by mail. A total of 157 cases of mail fraud were uncovered by Fuzhou customs in the first half of the year.

 

More sophisticated electronic detection devices were being used to uncover IPR infringement, said the GAC.

 

(Xinhua News Agency August 9, 2006)