BEIJING -- People's courts in China registered 4,319 new criminal cases of intellectual property rights (IPR) infringement last year, up 19.28 percent year on year, said a source with the Supreme People's Court (SPC).

Of the total, 4,064 were concluded at courts across China, up 11.59 percent, said Lin Guanghai, an SPC judge responsible for IPR cases, at a press conference held at the State Council Information Office Wednesday.

Lin cited the figures to state that punishment plays an increasingly obvious role in targeting criminal acts of IPR infringement and counterfeiting.

China's courts, through trials of IPR cases, have fully played a leading role in judicial protection of IPR and contributed to the creation of a good business environment that honors the rule of law, and to a favorable environment conducive to scientific and technological innovation and cultural prosperity, he said.