The progress China made in intellectual property (IP) in 2023 was released at a press conference of the State Council Information Office on Wednesday.

Since last April, 10 national-level IP protection demonstration zones have been initiated, said Hu Wenhui, deputy director of China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA).

Advances have been achieved as cities nationwide have been pursuing high standards in implementation, construction, and protection, Hu said.

More attention is paid to the protection of original innovation at the comprehensive national science center in Hefei, Anhui Province, putting increasing research into application.

Binhai New Area actively supports strategic scientific entities like the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) and Haihe Laboratory with precise IP protection models featuring “Order + Specialist”.

Hangzhou City in Zhejiang Province has inaugurated the Digital Economy Industry Intellectual Property Protection Center, carrying out reforms in data IP protection.

Cities like Nanjing in Jiangsu Province continue to improve the “one-stop” IP services, promoting rapid resolution of disputes.

Thanks to the streamlined administration of IP adjudication in Ningbo, case processing time has been reduced by 30 percent.

Moreover, Guangzhou has collaborated with customs in Hong Kong and Macao on cross-border cases, pioneering an IP administrative protection evidence recognition mechanism in the Greater Bay Area.

An international IP service platform has been established in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, pooling IP service institutions and experts from 30 countries and regions.

As Pudong New Area continues to strengthen IP protection at exhibitions, there are more technical exchanges and cooperation between domestic and foreign enterprises.

Additionally, an international IP arbitration center has been built in the Greater Bay Area, aiming to create a hub for resolving IP disputes.

Some counterfeit products that exploited the slight differences in Chinese characters to associate with well-known brands to imitate the original ones from their names to their packaging have been found guilty of trademark infringement and unfair competition.

Niao Su beer, whose name is similar to the brand Wu Su beer in Chinese, was sentenced to compensate 2.08 million yuan （$28.7 million）in March, according to the Supreme People's Court.