Bring IP down to the Grassroots

February 14, 2022

Mr. Tang said that China is one of the role model countries for IP construction in the world. Over the last 5 decades, China has risen to an IP powerhouse, which demonstrated what commitment of leadership could do for IP development by not just looking at the plan, but executing that plan consistently over decades.

China is the one of the biggest users of WIPO services. Mr. Tang welcomed China’s accession to the Hague Agreement, as it has the world's largest designer community. He pointed out that promoting Hague System would be one of the priority areas for WOC’s work, in addition to that of the Madrid System, as Chinese enterprises look more to overseas market. “I believe that the Madrid System can bring value to Chinese companies,” said Mr. Tang.

Mr. Tang mentioned that in the last 2 years, WIPO data shows that IP and innovation remain resilient against massive disruption of the Pandemic. The pandemic is forcing people to rethink business models. “We are all in an area of work that is going to be a sunrise industry.” IP is not just something only for IP specialists and experts, but also for everyone, everywhere. Therefore, “our work in the future is to bring IP down to the grassroots level, to the ground level.”

Mr. Tang said that WOC should reach out to the stakeholders, especially the SMEs, women and youth, taking their ideas to market. “The focus is not just on IP protection but also on IP commercialization and IP financing.” WOC should be more attentive and responsive to the demands of Chinese market, providing timely and tailored global IP services.

Ms. Liu Hua, Director of WOC, said that Mr. Tang’s visit would be a milestone event for WIPO and China of historical significance, which demonstrated the great importance that the both sides have attached to the bilateral relations. “This visit will send four strong messages to China and beyond”, she said. Firstly, WIPO supports multilateralism, as it remain a critical part of WIPO’s work in facing up to the global challenges and risks, such as the Pandemic, climate change and others. Secondly, WIPO encourages innovation, creativity and IP as a driving force to promote economic growth and sustainable development. Thirdly, WIPO welcomes China’s accession to the Marrakesh Treaty and the Hague Agreement, as the second largest user of WIPO services will benefit more from WIPO global IP protection system. Fourthly, WIPO will strengthen its cooperation with China by aligning WIPO Medium-Term Strategic Plan with China’s policies and measures, in the interest of mutual benefits and win-win result.