Victims of copyright theft could receive more than 1 million yuan ($146,000) compensation under a directive issued by the Supreme People's Court (SPC) yesterday.

The number of intellectual property right (IPR) claims in Chinese courts grew by more than 30 per cent last year. This included patent, trademark, and copyright infringements about everything from domain names, to pirated DVDs and fake designer clothing.

But evidence of the financial loss incurred is difficult to produce, and victims are often under-compensated as a result.