Autonomous region strengthens IPR protection

Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region's copyright office announced on World Intellectual Property Day, April 26, that Guangxi is in the lead among all provinces and regions in China when it comes to using copyrighted software.

By the end of Nov 30, 2012, Guangxi had spent more than 130 million yuan ($20.63 million) on purchasing 170,000 copyrighted software programs to ensure all government departments above the county level were using copyrighted software. Other than the government departments, today there are currently 1,140 businesses in Guangxi that use copyrighted software.

The copyright authority in Guangxi launched a special attack on various infringements upon intellectual property rights in industries such as publishing, software design and audio-visual products in 2012. About 317 cases were investigated, with nine resulting in administration penalties, while 15 cases were treated as criminal cases by the end of November 2012.

Guangxi's copyright authority has also vowed to bolster an effective long-term supervision system this year to ensure that intellectual property is safeguarded against copyright infringement throughout the region.