Courts vow to add impetus to China's anti-monopoly drive

BEIJING -- Chinese courts will step up judicial work to facilitate the country's anti-monopoly drive, says a plan on judicial protection for intellectual property rights (IPR) for the 2021-2025 period.

The document, issued Thursday by the Supreme People's Court, China's apex court, lists key jobs on judicial protection for IPR during the upcoming five years.

Courts will strengthen work on the trials of monopoly and unfair competition cases, and judicial interpretations will be issued to help curb monopolistic conduct and unfair competition, reads the plan.

It foresees further efforts to see that monopoly disputes in the internet sector are better handled, anti-monopoly adjudication rules relevant to internet platforms improve, and disorderly expansion of capital is prevented.

Chinese courts will also ramp up the protection of scientific and technological achievements, copyright and commercial logos, the plan says, vowing more efforts to punish IPR infringements.

Improved measures, including evidence preservation, will ensure that IPR violating acts be halted promptly and the costs for IPR holders to safeguard their legitimate rights effectively decrease, it adds.