BEIJING, April 7 (Xinhuanet) -- China has arrested 419 suspects for trademark infringement crimes in the past five months, an official with the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said at a press conference on the State Office of Intellectual Property Protection here Thursday.

    Since the beginning of a one-year campaign against trademark infringement launched by the MPS from last November, more than 340 cases involving 100 million yuan (12 million US dollars) have been found, said Gao Feng, an official with the MPS.

    "Some 280 cases have been closed, with 419 suspects arrested and 30 million yuan (3.62 million US dollars) of economic losses recovered," he said.

    The anti-piracy campaign, dubbed "Operation Eagle," has rooted out 81 major cases. In central China's Henan province, local police smashed five criminal gangs illegally manufacturing and selling fake medicine, seizing fake medicine and equipment totaling 50 million yuan (6 million US dollars).

    Various types of commodities were involved in the campaign, ranging from fake Toyota, Nissan and Mazda accessories, counterfeit Chanel and Boss cosmetics, household electronic appliances, medicine, clothing, tobacco and alcohol, Gao said.

    Thirteen Chinese government departments, including the National Office of Rectification and Standardization of Market Economic Order, the Ministry of Publicity, the MPS and the Ministry of Information Industry, plan to jointly launch a campaign on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Protection Week from April 20 to 26 in an effort to enhance the IPR awareness of the public and to fend off counterfeit products. Enditem