A Bing Dwen Dwen toy placed on its design drafts is pictured on Feb. 9, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Dawei) 

BEIJING, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- China has taken solid measures to protect the intellectual property rights (IPR) of Olympic symbols, especially those related to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, said an official with China's top market regulator.

Chinese market regulators have handled more than 240 infringement cases involving Olympic symbols since an inter-department campaign began in 2021, said Wang Songlin, an official of the State Administration for Market Regulation, at a Monday press conference.

Zhang Zhicheng, a senior official of the National Intellectual Property Administration, told the press that to date, the administration has announced the IPR protection of 63 Olympic symbols.

Also protected are 14 patent applications and 315 trademark applications filed by the Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, added Zhang.

A most prominent character under this protection is Bing Dwen Dwen, the much-beloved panda mascot for the Games. According to Zhang, as a protected Olympic symbol, the patents, trademarks, and copyright associated with the mascot are all well-protected.