Stiffer penalties sought for IP theft

Judicial professionals are calling for lawmakers to protect intellectual property by increasing penalties for infringements, as online piracy and fake goods are hard to clean up.

Although China has made great efforts in recent years to stamp out IP infringements, especially regarding online piracy and counterfeiting, "IP rights remain hard to protect because of the low fines for infringements," said Zhao Zhanling, a legal researcher at China University of Political Science and Law who specializes in IP cases.

Currently, under a Supreme People's Court judicial interpretation on handling criminal IP cases, people who make or sell unlicensed goods worth 50,000 yuan ($7,700) or more are subject to criminal punishment. For lesser amounts, they are fined.