A senior judge from the Supreme People's Court (SPC) told local courts on Wednesday to be stricter on people who violate intellectual property rights.

The SPC said all financial losses of the offended should be taken into consideration when fining the violator, said Kong Xiangjun, deputy head of the SPC intellectual property right department.

Courts should deprive violators all illegal profits garnered through using someone else's intellectual property. Compensation should also include legal costs of the victim.

"Through a strict compensation rule, we hope to increase the cost people have to pay for harming intellectual property rights," Kong said.

China has long been under pressure to control pirating activities in various fields such as publication and industrial design.

"Through this, we hope to improve public awareness of the importance to protect intellectual property rights," he added

(Xinhua News Agency December 11, 2008)