Tougher punishments 'will help tackle rampant problem'

BEIJING - More than 4,000 people have been arrested for violating intellectual property rights (IPR) since last October as tougher punishments will be enforced to combat the "rampant" problem, a senior government official said on Tuesday.

Gao Feng, deputy director of the economic crimes investigation bureau at the Ministry of Public Security, told a news conference that his agency had uncovered more than 2,000 cases since China launched a six-month campaign to boost enforcement of intellectual property rights protection in October.