Vice premier stresses anti-piracy efforts on World IP Day

Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan has called for a continued fight against piracy and counterfeit products following the destruction of millions of copies of pirated publications and documents.

"The crackdown on the infringement of intellectual property rights (IPR) and the making and selling of counterfeit goods is of historical importance and should be carried out in our daily life," Wang said at a meeting Thursday, the day of this year's World Intellectual Property Day.

On Tuesday, authorities in 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions destroyed more than 29 million copies of pirated publications and other illegally produced documents in a move to show the country's resolution in the crackdown.

While praising various government departments' anti-piracy results in the first quarter of 2012, Wang noted that the situation is still "austere," and urged them to adopt effective law enforcement measures to curb the making and selling of counterfeit or substandard food, drugs and agricultural and construction materials.

Meanwhile, Wang stressed that IPR infringement and piracy will still be a key focus in the governments' actions.

Wang called for the exposure of a series of typical IPR-related cases to raise public awareness in order to create a favorable environment for the protection of the interests of consumers and enterprises.

Moreover, Wang urged provincial-level governments to step up the purchase and use of authorized software.

Official figures indicate that authorities confiscated more than 38 million unauthorized publications and investigated more than 7,800 related cases between April 2011 and March this year.