Briefly

BEIJING

Police crack down on counterfeiters

In the nationwide Kunlun 2020 Operation against infringement of intellectual property, police officers investigated more than 16,000 cases worth over 18 billion yuan ($2.79 billion) in potential retail sales value in 2019. They cracked down on some 9,100 sites for counterfeit production and sales and arrested more than 27,000 suspects, according to the Ministry of Public Security. Prioritizing breaches in the sectors of food, medicine, and supplies for pandemic prevention and control, police across the country cooperated with local authorities of IP, market supervision and customs to improve the business environment.

CHINA INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY NEWS

Added value of copyrights surges

The added value of China's copyright industry reached 7.32 trillion yuan ($1.13 trillion) in 2019. It marks a year-on-year increase of more than 10 percent, according to the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication. Between 2016-19, the added value of the copyright industry grew from 5.46 trillion yuan to 7.32 trillion yuan－an increase of 34 percent, said a report recently issued by the academy. The proportion of the copyright industry in China's GDP also increased from 7.33 percent in 2016 to 7.39 percent in 2019, the report said.

XINHUA

Documentaries highlight heritage

The National Library of China has launched 48 documentaries online to promote the nation's intangible cultural heritage among the public. The documentaries cover 10 categories of ICH, exploring such areas as living environment, growth experience, skill acquisition, teaching and inheritance. The documentaries aim to inform the public of China's ICH, while helping them to understand, love and protect it.

XINHUA

SHANGHAI

Toy makers jailed after appeal fails

A Shanghai court upheld the verdict last week for six people over the counterfeiting and manufacture of Lego toys worth 330 million yuan ($51.1 million). The Shanghai Higher People's Court rejected the appeals of the group against the verdict made in September by the No 3 Intermediate People's Court in Shanghai. The defendants were sentenced from three to six years in prison for replicating Lego toys and selling them online and offline under the brand of Lepin without authorization from the Danish toy company Lego since 2015.

XINHUA

HUBEI

IP center officially opens in Wuhan

The China (Wuhan) Intellectual Property Protection Center was formally inaugurated in December. Focused on the optoelectronic information industry, the center began a trial operation in May, providing a wide range of patent services. It has served more than 540 businesses from the industry, dealing with more than 860 patent applications.

HUBEI DAILY

GUANGDONG

Chinese video games expand overseas

Chinese-developed video games raked in $15.45 billion in overseas sales in 2020, an increase of 33.25 percent from a year earlier. This is according to a report released at the China Game Industry Annual Conference in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, in December. The United States topped the No 1 overseas market, contributing 27.55 percent of the sales, followed by Japan and South Korea.

QIANZHAN.COM