(Yicai Global) July 27 -- Industry and commerce administration and market regulation authorities in Shanghai have initiated a 100-day law enforcement campaign to crack down on trademark infringement, unfair competition and other illegal business activities, in the run-up to China International Import Expo, state media The Paper reported today.

City officials announced the action program for the 200-day law enforcement campaign -- dubbed 'Intellectual Property Protection, and Promotion of Fair Competition' -- in a meeting today.

The eastern Chinese mega-metropolis will clamp down on the illegal use of the trademarks, logos and other special symbols of the China International Import Expo Bureau (CIIEB). Efforts will also go above all to effectively protecting trademarks belonging to exhibitors and those of well-known foreign and famous domestic brands, with ramped up inspection of high-priority products, officials said at the meeting.

The city government will bolster its protection of trademarks of industry leaders, famous trade names and influential brand names, and mete out severe punishments on those using symbols identical or similar to the names or packaging of influential products belonging to others, names of influential enterprises or pirates using others' trademarks in the infringers' own enterprise names to mislead the public in acts of unfair competition. 

Online misleading expo-related advertising activities will also form a focus of official attention.

The National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) and the surrounding area are designated the central inspection area, and main streets, clothing and small commodity markets (shopping malls), tourist souvenir markets, tourist attractions and transport hubs (airports and bus and metro stations) as key inspection areas, per the program.

Law enforcement scrutiny will rest on products particularly vulnerable to infringement, especially electronics, agricultural produce and clothing exhibited at the event.

Regulators will also closely attend to key businesses such as production and sales, trademark printing, advertising and online marketing operations to nip infringement in the bud.

Shanghai is just another example of the lengths to which Chinese cities must go to pull up their socks when they bring home such red-letter events.

Editor: Ben Armour