Companies at China's largest trade fair that breach intellectual property rights (IPR) will be permanently banned from future events, organizers said.

The organizing committee of the 102nd China Import and Export Fair (CIEF), commonly known as Canton Fair, said it is taking even tougher measures this year.

Xu Bing, deputy director of China Foreign Trade Center and CIEF spokesperson, told a press conference yesterday that all exhibiting firms had been "urged to bear the responsibility of IPR protection".

"The organizing committee will permanently ban those who breach IPR of future exhibition opportunities," Xu said.

Xu said the organizing committee has always attached great importance to IPR protection at China's largest trade event.

The organizing committee first set up a complaint station for IPR protection at the 85th session in 1999.

The 102nd CIEF, which opens today, will see even more foreign and domestic exhibitors than before.

A total of 480 overseas companies from 57 countries and regions are seeking business opportunities to penetrate further the Chinese market during the first phase of the fair, until October 20.

A total of 14,574 domestic companies showcase their products during the later two phases of the fair, and 107 firms from Taiwan and 49 from Hong Kong are attending the fair.

Of the overseas exhibitors, 56 are from Malaysia, 52 from South Korea, 23 from the United States and 23 from Singapore, as well as 17 from the world's least developed countries.

In another development, the organizing committee changed the fair's logo.

(China Daily October 15, 2007)