BEIJING, April 12 -- China will set up reporting centers in 50 cities to receive tips on violations of intellectual property rights as part of the nation's efforts to crack down on product piracy, Commerce Minister Bo Xilai told a news conference yesterday in Beijing.

    Bo said the country's public security authorities resolved more than 8,800 piracy cases involving 4.8 billion yuan (US$599 million) and arrested more than 13,000 suspects from 2000 to 2005.

    Last year alone, the nation's courts heard 3,567 IPR cases, an increase of 28 percent from the year before.

    The Chinese government has also required computer makers to install licensed operating system software on their equipment before it is sold.

    Bo's comments came as President Hu Jintao prepares to visit the United States, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Nigeria and Kenya from Tuesday to April 29.

    Hu's four-day US trip will take him to Seattle and Washington DC, where he will meet with US President George W. Bush.

    "Hu's visit will be a good opportunity for China and US to narrow or eliminate the differences," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao, responding at his own news conference to a question on China-US disputes over trade and IPR protection.

    Meanwhile, Bo noted that China's own needs to protect its intellectual property are also on the rise. The country last year handled more than 470,000 patent applications, published 6.4 billion books and produced 260 movies and 13,000 TV series episodes.

    High-tech products accounted for 28 percent of China's more than US$760 billion in exports last year, and machinery and electronic products exceeded 56 percent, much of which involved protected intellectual property.

    Also yesterday, Liu Binjie, vice director of the State Press and Publication Administration revealed that China will ratify international treaties on the Internet with the World Intellectual Property Organization in the second half of this year.

    In addition, the National Copyright Administration has completed a draft report on the legal aspects of China's accession to international treaties and has submitted the draft to the State Council for approval this month.

    The draft will then be submitted to the National People's Congress, the legislature, in the latter half of the year, completing the ratification process, Liu said.

(Source: Shanghai Daily)