Public satisfaction improved regarding the government's work against fake products and intellectual property rights (IPR) infringement in 2014, according to a new report.
Public satisfaction with government work in IPR protection rose 4.5 percent year on year to 69.4 percent in China in 2014, according to the China Annual Report against IPR Infringement and Counterfeit, released Thursday by the Office of the Leading Group for the Campaign against IPR Infringement and Counterfeit, a government body under the Ministry of Commerce.
There were fewer counterfeit-related complaints among 800,000 respondents in the latter half of 2014 compared to the previous period, according to the report, which was compiled based on work reports of government bodies both at the central and local levels.
China has toughened its stance against IPR infringement and fake products through a variety of measures, but challenges have emerged with the rise of e-commerce. According to a report delivered to Chinese lawmakers earlier this month, only 58.7 percent of items sold online were genuine or of good quality last year.
Chai Haitao, an official with the Office of the Leading Group, said rampant IPR infringement and fake products on the Internet have posed a challenge for supervisors.
"We hope that the report will awaken China to the importance of IPR protection and help improve merchandise quality," Chai said at a press release for the report.
Lin Xiuqin, the report's executive editor-in-chief, said that the publication is a display of government determination to fight illegal activities in the market.
The Chinese version of the report was released Thursday in China and globally. An English version is expected to be published in the near future.
