Local court releases data on IP, FTZ cases

Shanghai procuratorates charged 648 suspects in 409 intellectual property infringement cases between January 2016 and May, according to court data released yesterday. They also approved arrests of 314 people in 218 such cases over the same period.

Between January 2017 and May, prosecutors further filed 183 charges against 249 suspects for crimes related to the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone in a specific crackdown on illegal activity in the zone.

The Pudong New Area People’s Procuratorate also announced yesterday the opening of its first case of business-secret infringement in the zone.

The procuratorate said that on May 25 it approved the arrest of two people who allegedly used another company’s business secrets to produce unauthorized goods.

The duo, both employees of a US-based gas station device supplier, were said to have copied the design of a gasoline gun from their company and set up a new company to manufacture similar oil guns starting April, 2015.

The trial has not yet started.