From September 2 to 3, the 10thChina Intellectual Property Annual Meeting (CIPAC), hosted by Intellectual Property Publishing House Co., Ltd. opened at the Hangzhou International Expo Center. With the theme "IP, Evolving with the New Era", participants clashed intelligently on topics such as the ecological chain of IP operation under economic globalization, artificial intelligence 2.0 and IPRs, international trade and overseas IPRs protection, and the release of IP products and services at the 10th CIPAC.

According to China IP reporters, the annual conference invited more than 13,000 delegates from 5 continents, more than 40 countries and regions to attend the conference. Representatives from government departments such as the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and other international organizations, as well as embassies in China, judicial organs, universities, industry associations, and well-known enterprises gathered in Hangzhou to discuss the development of IP.

As the largest, most influential and most attended annual IP event in China, this year's CIPAC has brought new changes.

One is the name change of the annual meeting. This year, in order to cover the increasingly rich needs of China's IP work to meet the needs of diverse groups, the name of the annual meeting was upgraded from the "China Patent Annual Meeting" to the "China Intellectual Property Annual Meeting", covering a variety of IP categories, including patent, industrial designs，trademark, geographical indication, as well as IP operations, services, rights protection, legislation, jurisdiction, which makes CIPAC a veritable annual IP event.

The other is the change of theme, previous annual meetings focused on the themes of patents and economic development, and opening up. This year's theme, "IP, Evolving with the New Era" reflects a broader historical thinking and provides more space for participants to exchange.

Opening ceremony: the collision of IP and the new era

This year marks the 70 th  anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Looking back on the 70 years of extraordinary history, China has achieved a historic leap from scratch in IP industry as well, becoming a veritable IP power. China's IP industry has not only successfully caught up and complied with the times, but also strongly supported the development. China has the highest number of patent and trademark applications in the world each year, and the number of patent applications filed through the Patent Cooperation Treaty and the number of trademark applications filed through the Madrid Agreement on the International Registration of Trademarks ranks second and third in the world, respectively. The quality of IP creation, the effect of IP protection, the benefits of application and China's international influence are constantly improving, opening a new era of IP power construction.

At the opening ceremony of the annual meeting, Shen Changyu, commissioner of CNIPA, introduced the relevant measures of China's IP work in the new era from both domestic and international dimensions.

On the one hand, China will continue to unswervingly implement a strict domestic IP protection system, and continue to create a good environment for innovation and business. At the macro-policy level, on July 24, General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over the 9th meeting of the Central Comprehensively Deepening Reforms Commission, deliberated and adopted the Opinions on Strengthening Intellectual Property Protection, which set out the direction of efforts to strengthen IP protection in the new era and provided a guide for fundamental follow-up and action. At the strategic planning level, to research and formulate a strategic outline for achieving an IP power for 2035, promote the construction of IP power and the implementation of the IP strategy. At the legal level, to earnestly implement the newly promulgated Foreign Investment Law and the newly revised Trademark Law, and implement a more stringent system of punitive compensation for trademark infringement. Meanwhile, to speed up the revision of the Patent Law, establish a system of punitive damages for infringement and a compensation system for pharmaceutical products in the protection period, and extend design patents' protection period. At the business examination level, to continuously improve the quality and efficiency of IP examination, improve the timeliness of patent and trademark licensing and the stability of rights.

On the other hand, China will focus on the international community and strengthen international cooperation in protecting IPRs, and accelerate the construction of a new pattern of multilateral, peripheral, micro-multilateral and bilateral international cooperation on IPRs to "link in four ways and promote IPRs protection coordinately". On the multilateral level, China is actively promoting cooperation with WIPO, promoting the popularization and application of the Patent Cooperation Treaty and the Madrid System for International Trademark Registration in China, promoting the "Belt and Road" IP cooperation, building the Technology and Innovation Support Center (TISC), and building a nationwide IP information service network. On the peripheral level, China is actively promoting cooperation with Mongolia and Russia on the north, with Japan and South Korea on the east, with Central Asian countries on the west, and with ASEAN countries on the south. On the micro-multilateral level, China will cooperate with IP5 (China, the US, Europe, Japan, South Korea) and the BRICS IP Offices (China, Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa), as well as China-Africa IP cooperation. On the bilateral level, China will continue to participate in the bilateral meetings on IPRs with France, Europe, the UK, Japan and South Korea, to promote all-round external cooperation.

In a video message, WIPO Director General Francis Gurry said China has made outstanding achievements in innovation. China's performance in the 2019 Global Innovation Index Report has been notable, with the world's ranking jumping from 17th to 14th, and continuing this steady and rapid upward trend.

Over the past 40 years, China has excelled in building a first-class IP system, and the number of international patent, trademark and design applications from China has been growing steadily, highlighting China's leading position in the IP field.

As in previous years, the 10th CIPAC was packed of high-level figures. The key speakers on the opening ceremony included:

Yoshiyuki Takagi, assistant director general of WIPO.

Dr. Pham Cong Tac, deputy minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology of Viet Nam.

Daren Tang, chief executive of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore.

Cham Prasidh, minister of Ministry of Industry and Handicrafts of Cambodia.

David Gosset, founder of the Europe-China Forum.

Zheng Jianjiang, chairman of the AUX Group.

Mark Snyder, senior vice president and patent counsel, Qualcomm Incorporated.

Sara Yu, senior vice president of Alibaba Group, Alibaba Partner.