BEIJING - China's copyright administration organs at various levels confiscated about 707 million pirated copies during the period between 2001 and 2010, says a white paper titled "The Socialist System of Laws with Chinese Characteristics" issued on Thursday.

Moreover, the authorities delivered 93,000 administrative penalties and transferred 2,500 cases to judicial organs according to incomplete statistics, says the white paper issued by the Information Office of the State Council.

The white paper says that China attaches great importance to the protection of intellectual property rights.

By the end of 2010, the state had approved over 3.89 million patents of various types, and effectively registered over 4.6 million trademarks, including 670,000 trademarks from 177 countries and regions, it says.