Nation strengthens IPR protections

China has intensified its efforts to protect intellectual property rights over the past year, with more steps planned for this year, such as amending the Patent Law to substantially increase the cost of infringement, authorities said on Tuesday.

Courts across the country handled a surge in IPR-related cases - 288,000 of them, an increase of 42 percent year-on-year - Chief Justice Zhou Qiang said in the annual work report of the top court to China's top legislature.

A national-level court, a new division of the Supreme People's Court, was set up in Beijing in January to specialize in hearing civil patent appeals.