Hanover, Germany  - China's trade ministry set up a special office Tuesday at the CeBIT computing trade fair in Germany in a bid to head off disputes over alleged illegal copying of products.

Past fairs have been marred by complaints from western companies that Chinese manufacturers have used proprietary software or product designs without paying royalties to the inventors for intellectual property rights (IPR).

German customs agents have confiscated the products after receiving complaints of breaches of copyright or patents. Chinese firms have sometimes said they are practically defenceless against unjustified claims if their staff do not know German.

The first China IPR Desk to ever operate at CeBIT is to mediate in disputes, but also protect Chinese firms from unfair complaints.

"We want to strengthen awareness among Chinese firms of intellectual property," said Chong Quan, a senior ministry official, in Hanover at the March 3-8 fair, the world's biggest combined computing and telecoms trade show.

Non-Chinese companies were invited to contact the desk and request mediation if they believed Chinese firms had breached their IPR.

The European Union and Deutsche Messe, the company operating CeBIT, have voiced support for the office, which employs interpreters and lawyers able to assist negotiations between firms on both sides.

China and the EU agreed earlier to cooperate to improve IPR compliance in China. An EU spokeswoman said the purpose of mediation was to solve conflicts by creating a business contract between the parties, instead of them fighting in court.

In software disputes, proprietors are often not opposed to their ideas being copied, but want a fee. Arguments about bootlegging have embarrassed trade fair companies, which fear they will lose foreign business if exhibitors have a bad experience. (dpa)