WIPO Director General Daren Tang Noted that China had a True Landmark Achievement in IP Protection and Innovation

October 24, 2020

The 17th International Intellectual Property Forum was co-hosted by WIPO, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), and the Shanghai Municipal People's Government on October 20, 2020 in Shanghai. Mr. Daren Tang, Director General of WIPO, delivered a video message at the Opening of the Forum.

Mr. Daren Tang pointed out in his speech that in just a few short decades, China had built a highly effective and modern IP system that had helped drive China's wanted economic and social development. The results are evident. China has become the top filler of international patent application via WIPO’s international patent system with 58,990 filings, which represent a true landmark achievement.

Mr. Daren Tang regarded Shanghai as a perfect location for discussion on the Forum’s theme—promoting high quality economic development in the post-pandemic era and building an international forefront of IP protection. Specifically, he highlighted Shanghai’s progress in the field of innovation and technology as it ranked 9th in the top 100 science and technology clusters according to the Global Innovation Index 2020. In addition, tech Giant ZTE, the top patent applicant in that period from the Shanghai cluster, carried out a certain amount of its safety innovation away from the company headquarters. This result, said Mr. Daren Tang, underlines how so much innovative activity is now becoming distributed and collaborative in China and across the world.

Mr. Daren Tang said the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Shanghai Service, set up in Shanghai in 2019, would continue to support the international business communities in China with new toolkits for IP protection and IP dispute resolution.

Mr. Shen Changyu, Commissioner of CNIPA and Mr. Gong Zheng, Mayor and Deputy Secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of China, attended and addressed the Forum in the hybrid form. In their speech, they explored ways to strengthen IP protection facing global challenges. Mr. Chen Qun, Vice Mayor of Shanghai Municipal People's Government, attended the opening ceremony of the Forum.

The 17th International Intellectual Property Forum was held from October 20 to 23 with participants including experts and representatives from the political, business, and academic fields. Their discussion centered on topics such as the creation, protection and application of intellectual property in a world that is changing rapidly.