A Shanghai court ruled in favor of UK liquor maker Diageo in a suit against a local firm that copied the packaging and bottle design of its Johnnie Walker Black Label whisky, the Financial Times reported. Diageo was awarded US$183,000 in damages in the case, an unusually high amount for intellectual property (IP) cases in China, in the midst of an anti-piracy campaign by the city government. Lawyers commented that the case, although part of a campaign, signaled greater sophistication and determination to crack down on IP theft, though enforcement of verdicts remains an issue. Shanghai firm Blueblood sold 37,000 bottles of its Polonius whisky brand, which comes in nearly identically shaped bottles and packaging to Johnnie Walker Black Label. There were rulings on the same day on cases involving foreign firms including 3M, Nippon Electric, New Zealand fruit company Zespri and Taiwan-based music label Rock Records.