BEIJING -- China launched a week of campaigns to raise awareness of protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) Thursday.

The campaign, jointly organized by 23 agencies, will feature events across the country, including press conferences, forums, lectures and the release of a whitepaper on judicial protection of IPR, running up to April 26, World Intellectual Property Day.

Addressing the opening ceremony, State Councilor Wang Yong said that China needs sound IPR protection to foster innovation. Wang also called for better international IPR cooperation in creating an inclusive and open environment for innovation.

China has become the largest source of patent applications, trademarks and industrial designs, said Francis Gurry, director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

The number of Chinese international patent applications filed under WIPO's Patent Cooperation Treaty exceeded 43,000 last year, up 44.7 percent, according to the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO).

IPR authorities had handled over 80,000 cases involving patents, trademarks and copyrights, said Shen Changyu, head of the SIPO.

In the first quarter this year, more than 2 million pirated publications were seized, said a joint statement issued Thursday by China's National Office Against Pornographic and Illegal Publications and the National Copyright Administration.

China also launched a national copyright monitoring website Thursday, which would provide 24/7 monitoring of the Internet and identify suspected rights infringements.