BEIJING, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- China's Supreme People's Court (SPC) on Tuesday inaugurated a national appeal court for intellectual property right (IPR) cases.

According to a recently issued SPC regulation, the court will handle appeals of both civil and administrative IPR cases, which require more expertise.

IPR cases include a broad range of lawsuits such as patents, new plant varieties, integrated circuit layout design, computer software and monopoly.

When inspecting the newly established court, Chief Justice Zhou Qiang stressed strict and impartial administration of justice, as well as more efforts to strengthen IPR protection.

The establishment of the national appeal court is a major move to improve China's business environment, Zhou said, calling for unified judicial standards, improved judicial systems and equal treatment of domestic and foreign entities.