IP Empowers Women

March 16, 2022

Women are the creators of the spiritual and material civilisation of mankind. Without women, there would be no survival, reproduction or progress of mankind. On the occasion of the celebration of the 112th International Women's Day, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), in cooperation with the All China Women's Federation (ACWF), organized a Roundtable on the Empowerment of Women through Intellectual Property (IP) in Beijing on March 9. More than 30 representatives from government, academia, associations, business and media were invited to attend and speak at the event.

Ms. Liu Hua, Director of WIPO Office in China (WOC), at the outset, extended warm greetings to the female participants of the meeting. She said that the world is undergoing profound changes in the time, the Pandemic has changed the way we work, live and play, and the digital economy has seen great development.

How to forge a broad based post pandemic economic recovery and put the world on a sustainable equal footing? How to stand out and remain a leading position in the new round of technological and industrial revolution? The protection and application of IP is the key. Against the backdrop, women's development, empowerment and equality face even greater challenges. WIPO is committed to leading and building a balanced and inclusive global IP ecosystem that enables innovation and creativity through IP for the benefit of all including women, and thereby contributes to the progress and development of society.

As the global forum for IP services, policy, information and cooperation, WIPO will engage and support women more extensively, ensuring them to realize how IP is relevant to and connected with their life, work, dream and aspiration.

First, WIPO is a golden knowledge asset with five golden keys including WIPO's policy forum, application systems,databases, cooperation platforms and the capacity building platform. Making good use of these five sets of golden keys will give wings to the use of IP by women to promote innovation, creativity and development.

Second, women will be a focus of the WOC's work for 2022. Through a series of major events such as the World IP Day, the WIPO-CNIPA Patented Inventions and Industrial Design Awards, the WIPO-NCAC Copyright Award and the WIPO Best Women Invention Award, we will disseminate IP stories to women and enhance their IP skills. This year WIPO has established the Global Award for SMEs, and the WOC will focus on outstanding women entrepreneurs in this award, and will continue to support and promote WIPO's forthcoming Global Award programme focusing on women.

WOC, as the extension of WIPO, will continuously strengthen coordination and cooperation with China, promote WIPO's global IP systems, and seize the opportunities of China's economic development. By connecting media, markets and major Chinese stakeholders, and reaching out to new technologies, new champions of emerging industry and new generation especially SMEs, women and youth, the WOC will provide more effective, timely and targeted IP services to all Chinese stakeholders.

Ms. Mu Hong, Member of the Standing Committee and Director-General of the Liaison Department of ACWF mentioned that at a time of great development, change and restructuring in human society, the focus on women's empowerment , entrepreneurship and innovation is of particular significance in an era of endless challenges and increasing risks. Women today are not only active in traditional fields, but also play an increasingly important role in new fields and industries such as the Internet, big data, artificial intelligence and cultural creativity. We thank WIPO and its office in China for joining China in focusing on women's IP protection and empowerment.

Chinese President Xi Jinping pointed out that innovation is the first driving force leading development and that protecting IP is protecting innovation. The Chinese government has always given a prominent place to the protection of IP. As the largest women's organization in China, the ACWF always adhered to the purpose of representing and safeguarding women's rights and interests and promoting gender equality, and has actively played to its strengths by promoting policy support, building development platforms and providing leading services to promote women's empowerment, entrepreneurship and innovation, and helping women achieve a colorful life in the cause of serving the country and the people.

Representatives from Ministry of Justice, China National Intellectual Property Administration, National Copyright Administration of China, Beijing Intellectual Property Court, Beijing Institute of Control Engineering, Peking University, Tsinghua University, Alibaba Group, Beijing ByteDance Technology Co., Ltd., Yanbian Livestock Husbandry Development Group Co., Ltd., Tencent, China Global Television Network and China Intellectual Property News spoke freely on the theme of "IP Empowers Women". They mentioned that women have always been the backbone of economic, cultural and innovative development, and women make the world a better place. Knowledge can put people on an equal platform, which is progressive and lucky for women. IP and women are closely linked themes, and IP can guarantee women's development. IP work is well suited to women. Women are active in areas of IP and have made many contributions to the protection of intangible cultural heritage and the rural revitalization. However, creating value has nothing to do with gender, and that women should think more about how to achieve gender equality in the field of IP, so that every woman with a dream can become the inventor and creator of the future. How women are empowered to realize their value through IP is a true respect for women. IP empowers and protects women, making them walk with the times. The institutions where representatives work have a long and enjoyable history of cooperation with WIPO and they will continue to strengthen the cooperation between two sides in the future.

Representatives from Beijing Xicheng District People's Government, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), China Audio-Video Copyright Association (CAVCA), Capital Copyright Society, iHuman Inc., Huawei Group, Xiaomi Group, Migu Culture Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing Lexfield Law Firm, China Press and Publication Radio and TV News and Xinhua News Agency attended the event and exchanged their views on the current achievements of women in the field of innovation and creation and how women can better develop in the field of IP.