China has stepped up efforts in protecting trademarks with 21,045 trademark infringement cases investigated in the first half of this year, up 10.92 percent from a year earlier.

Statistics released by the State Administration For Industry and Commerce (SAIC) on Monday showed that these cases include 16,630 domestic ones and 4,415 foreign-related ones, up 7.58 percent and 25.6 percent, respectively.

Fines from these cases reached 175 million yuan (25.74 million U.S. dollars), up 8.58 percent; and 50 trademark-related criminal cases and 53 suspects were handed over to judicial organs for judgement, according to the SAIC.

SAIC branches at different levels also handled 1,232 cases that infringed the trademarked property of Olympic symbols in the first half year, confiscating and destroying 174,560 pieces of related goods and 81,012 pieces of trademarks.

Meanwhile, the SAIC reinforced its copyright protection efforts, confiscating more than 46.11 million pieces of illegal publications, and handling 12,838 related cases.

(Xinhua News Agency September 30, 2008)