Nearly 3,800 arrested for IPR crimes in 2016

Nearly 3,800 people in China were arrested for crimes related to intellectual property rights (IPR) violations last year, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) announced on January 24.

Over 7,000 people were prosecuted for violating IPR in 2016, the SPP said.

According to official statistics, over 3,500 people were arrested for crimes involving trademark infringement, accounting for over 92 percent of all IPR offenders in 2016.

Other IPR crimes in China last year included infringement of copyright and commercial secrets, said the SPP.

Procuratorates nationwide have stepped up efforts to protect IPR by enhancing supervision over administrative and public security organs in transferring and filing IPR violation cases, according to the SPP.