Russia should root out violations of the intellectual property rights (IPR) and fight against counterfeiting, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said at a forum held here Monday.

"We should face the truth and admit that in a number of industries, the earlier classical approaches to protecting copyright and IPR do not work now," Medvedev said at the Anti-Counterfeiting-2012 forum.

He called on the whole country to enhance IPR protection and fight against counterfeit goods, adding that the world has to work out mechanisms of "redistributing the interests of copyright owners, authors and users."

In terms of striking counterfeiting, Medvedev said "the task is to facilitate rational mode of consumption."

Every person should keep in mind that buying goods with a doubtful origin will not only risk his own health, but also support illegal producers, thus undermining quality goods production, he said.

The prime minister added that counterfeiting led to unfair competition, hampered investments and affected people's normal life.

Medvedev also said that the combat against counterfeiting is not only legally and economically necessary but also a moral obligation for Russia, a country that has just joined the World Trade Organization.

The Anti-Counterfeiting-2012 forum, which is held by the Russian government for the first time and will last till Wednesday, aims to improve governance in IPR protection and anti-counterfeiting work in the country.

According to the forum's website, counterfeit products, especially alcohol, drugs and foods, sell over 100 billion roubles (over 3 billion U.S. dollars) within Russia every year.

(Source: Xinhua)