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New guideline vows greater IPR protection

"The Guideline on Strengthening Intellectual Property Rights Protection", jointly issued by the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council on Nov 25, will provide stronger IP protection with harsher punishments for infringements.

The document said China will make comprehensive use of the law, technology and social governance policies to step up IPR protection. By 2022, China will strive to effectively curb IPR infringement, and largely overcome challenges including high costs, low compensation and difficulties in providing evidence for safeguarding intellectual property rights.

The document also calls for speeding up the introduction of a punitive compensation system for infringements of patents and copyrights, and strengthening the protection of trade secrets, confidential business information and their source codes.