Guizhou Province in southwest China has intensified the crackdown on intellectual property right (IPR) infringement through big data, local authorities said.

The province cracked 352 IPR infringement cases and arrested 514 suspects last year, involving 246 million yuan ($34.74 million), the information office of the provincial government said at a press conference.

Wu Rong, an official with the provincial public security department, said big data has played an important role in cracking down on IPR infringement in the province.

At present, a data model has been developed and applied in Guizhou's Zunyi, where China's leading liquor maker Kweichow Moutai's headquarters is located. According to the data collected, over 200 criminal gangs trafficking fake alcohol have been captured.

The market supervision departments in Guizhou have also strengthened IP regulation, carrying out 2,150 law enforcement actions and handling 2,662 IPR infringement cases last year, with the fines reaching 6.67 million yuan ($943,423) and the confiscated items worth 3.44 million yuan ($486,000).