Delegates from overseas enterprises said they appreciated China's efforts in the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) on Saturday at the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Meeting 2006.

They also made suggestions on problems that need to be addressed by the Chinese government at the annual meeting, which kicked off on Saturday in Boao, a scenic town in South China's Hainan Province.

The United Parcel Service (UPS) had found a Chinese company which duplicated its Website and provided a transportation service under its name.

But it was immediately closed down after the company reported it to the relevant Chinese department, said Ken Torok, President of Asia Pacific Region of the UPS Singapore Pte Ltd.

He said he was quite pleased to see the progress that the Chinese government has made to protect trademarks, and he hoped that China will continue its efforts to take its IPR protection to a new level.

Kevin Wale, president and managing director of GM China group, and Andre Dallaire, CEO of Northeast Asia, Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, also praised China's progress in IPR protection.

However, Wale noted there are still small companies and factories in some areas in China which are involved in counterfeiting products of famous brand names.

"This has affected the overall reputation of Chinese enterprises," he said, adding that more measures should be taken to crack down on the infringement of IPR across the country.

The Chinese government has taken the initiative to crack down on most of the trademark violation cases, said Li Dongsheng, deputy director of the State Administration of Industry and Commerce, while introducing the situation of the country's IPR protection.

He stressed that the whole of society should make concerted efforts alongside the government for IPR protection.

The rapid development of the Chinese economy is based on improved IPR protection, said Bo Xilai, minister of commerce, in mid-April. He said the IPR protection has already become a basic national policy and has been launched for the country's self-development.

"We have not started to provide products of IPR violation insurance in China, but we will begin to provide such services next year or in the next few years," said Dallaire. "So we're very interested in the measures of IPR protection launched by the Chinese government."

The price the IPR violators have to pay is still low in China, which is not enough to keep people away from violation, said Gong Li, chairman of greater China, Accenture Company, who also suggested that the Chinese public awareness of IPR protection need to be improved.

"The Chinese government is trying to solve those problems," said Li Dongsheng, "and the relevant departments will protect the rights of both domestic and overseas companies according to the law."

He said that the Chinese government will improve the awareness of enterprises and the public on IPR protection.

He expressed the hope that foreign enterprises will try to learn more about Chinese laws, and thus will be able to take appropriate measures to protect their rights in China.

(Xinhua News Agency April 23, 2006)