A specialist court in Guangzhou city has begun hearing cases on intellectual property rights. It's only the country's second dedicated IP court, but will play a major role in curbing copyright infringement - which has long been a problem in China.

Patents, trademarks and designs. Standard copyright lawsuits now being heard in a specialist Intellectual Property court.

The Guangzhou IP court opened on Wednesday. Sessions are being held in multiple hearing rooms, due to the large volume of cases.

"There are 13 judges working at our court. We've received 539 cases in the month leading up to the opening. So each judge is working on more than 40 lawsuits.," Wu Zhen, deputy director of Guangzhou Intellectual Property Court, said.

The establishment of the new dedicated court means other courts in Guangdong are no longer allowed to accept copyright cases.

It's one of only three such courts in China. Beijing's IP court mainly hears administrative cases. Shanghai and Guangdong mainly deal with civil lawsuits.

The aim of the courts is to simplify administration and innovate judicial procedures, part of China's overall drive towards judicial reform.

"There are still many challenges ahead. On the one hand, we will recruit more experienced judges and prepare everything we need as soon as possible. On the other hand, we need to regulate every step, from filing a case to the final verdict. We aim to build a standard procedure and improve our effectiveness.," Wu said.

A report by the Supreme People's Court says Chinese courts hear over a hundred thousand intellectual property cases annually.

On patent cases alone, Guangdong usually sees some 3 thousand and five hundred applicants every year.

These numbers are expected to rise in the years to come.

Guangdong Province is one of the regions in China with the most intellectual property dispute cases. Experts say the establishment of this special court will help boost the region's high-tech industry by handling the growing disputes and improving its investment environment.

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