Tongzhou district strengthens foreign-related IP case handling

Prosecutors in Beijing's Tongzhou district issued two bilingual documents regarding the handling of foreign-related intellectual property cases on Wednesday, aiming to strengthen protection of innovators and serve the high-quality development of the capital.

The documents, published in Chinese and English, will streamline the procedures of tackling foreign-related IP cases, and promote the construction of Tongzhou's sub-city center and law-based business environment through IP case handling.

Following the release of the documents, the district's prosecutors are required to continue upholding the basic principle of equal protection in handling IP cases, regardless of whether litigants are local or foreign, with more efforts focused on stimulating innovation-driven vitality.

Li Chen, prosecutor-general of the People's Procuratorate of Tongzhou District, emphasized the importance of resolving foreign-related IP cases.

"This is a major part of foreign-related prosecutorial work that is crucial for the international image and the construction of a first-class international business environment," she said at a news conference on Wednesday.

According to the latest data, since 2023, prosecutors in the district have dealt with 16 foreign-related IP disputes, accounting for 76.2 percent of the total foreign-related economic criminal cases, "and the number is still rising," Li revealed.

Many of the IP cases handled were related to cultural and tourism products, involving trademark infringements, she noted.

"For instance, some people were found to have counterfeited cultural and creative goods related to Universal Studio, such as magic robes and wands, thereby damaging the legitimate rights and interests of the entities engaged in the cultural and tourism industry," she added.

To improve the quality and efficiency of handling these cases, she said that the procuratorate has established an IP office and selected legal talents with high proficiency in foreign languages to specialize in tackling international IP-related matters.

She called for judges to further optimize legal services and increase exchanges with IP organizations from home and abroad, so as to provide stronger protection for innovators and better guarantee the capital's high-quality growth and high-level opening-up.