Dispute over life-like rubber statues ends

After a nearly six months of investigation by the local intellectual property watchdog, the nation's first silicone rubber patent infringement case was settled through arbitration, Shaanxi Daily reported.

A Xi'an-based cultural and creative company has admitted infringing on two patents owned by the Xi'an Superman Sculpture Research Institute. It agreed to stop producing and selling statues it made using the technology and pay 200,000 yuan ($32,157) in compensation.

Experts from the city's IP office said the handling of the dispute would serve as a precedent for authorities in other provinces to improve IP protection in the field.