WIPO China: IP Empowers the Development of Cultural and Creative Industries in China

January 19, 2022

On December 20, the China Copyright Annual Conference 2021 and the Future Summit Forum hosted by the China Copyright Association was held in Beijing. Seven distinguished speakers, including Ms. Liu Hua, Director of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Office in China, Mr. Yan Chongnian, historian and inaugural speaker of CCTV's "100 Lectures", Mr. Huang Zhijian, Chairman of China Publishing Group, Mr. Nie Zhenning, Chairman of the Tao Fen Foundation, Mr. Gao Hongbo, Vice Chairman of the China Writers' Association, Mr. Tong Zhilei, Chairman and President of Chinese Online, and Mr. Zhu Yongxin, Member of the Standing Committee and Deputy Secretary General of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Vice-Chairman of the 14th Central Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy, delivered brilliant speeches, sharing their insights on the role of IP , especially copyright, in promoting the development of cultural and creative industries. Mr. Ge Ke, Vice Chairman of the China Copyright Association presided over the forum.

"WIPO is always referred as a golden knowledge asset. Whoever approaches it will be empowered, like wings, to fly higher and farther.” said Ms. Liu Hua, Director of WIPO Office in China (WOC). The WIPO policy forums, registration systems, databases, cooperation platforms and the WIPO Academy are the five sets of golden keys to this knowledge asset. 

In her speech, Ms. Liu Hua also focused on five copyright-related cooperation platforms provided by WIPO: WIPO Alert, WIPO for Creators, Accessible Books Consortium, WIPO Connect and WIPO Match. She said that the Global Innovation Index 2021 released by the WIPO in September this year showed that China ranked 12th in the world and maintained leadership in 10 indicators including patents, trademarks, industrial designs, and creative good export. China's remarkable achievements in the fields of innovation and creation and IP have been highly commended by Mr. Daren Tang, Director General of WIPO. 

In 2022, the WOC will further strengthen its cooperation with China copyright community in promoting treaty accession and implementation, providing high-quality IP services, supporting and participating in major copyright events, and promoting best practices of enterprises using copyright for development, in order to promote the development of copyright in China.

On the basis of his summary of the six characteristics of Chinese culture, Mr. Yan Chongnian put forward an important conclusion. He believed that the next hundred years would be a century of “the process of spreading eastern philosophy and knowledge to the west" and China would become a major centre of world culture.Mr. Huang Zhijian pointed out that publishing is not only an important boost for cultural progress, an important guide for cultural innovation, but also an important component of the cultural industry. Mr. Nie Zhenning called for a nation of avid readers. Mr. Tong Zhilei introduced how science and technology empower copyright from two aspect of copyright communication and copyright protection. Mr Zhu Yongxin shared his views on eight new trends in the future of education, including the transformation of qualifications from academic ability.

Guests including Mr. Yan Xiaohong, Deputy Director of the Committee on Cultural, Historical Data and Studies of the National Committee of the CPPCC and Chairman of the China Copyright Association, and Mr. Zang Yongqing, President of the People's Literature Publishing House, attended the forum. More than 810,000 people watched the live broadcast of the forum through new media platforms such as Tencent, iQiyi, Kuaishou, Tik Tok, Sohu, Netease, Migu, and Volcano.