Design Makes Life Better, Hague System Empowers Going Global | 2022 CIFTIS Series Report II

September 6, 2022

On September 1, Ms. Liu Hua, Director of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Office in China, attended the International Forum on Industrial Design and Intellectual Property Protection and delivered an opening speech.

Ms. Liu Hua noted that designs are an important intellectual property right that not only drive economic growth and create jobs, but also improve people's quality of life and comfort, and that protecting industrial designs should be part of business and investment strategies. As the UN's specialized agency for intellectual property and innovation and creation, WIPO is a golden knowledge asset, providing protection for industrial designs through various platforms including its administered international treaties, the Hague system, a global design database, arbitration and mediation services, WIPO IP diagnostic tool and etc, Liu Hua said.

Ms. Liu indicated that in 2021, although China is not yet a member of the Hague system, it has been among the top 10 countries of origin for international filings under the Hague system, with Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co., Ltd becoming the eighth largest applicant. Since the Hague Agreement entered into force in China on May 5, 2022, Chinese companies have filed more than 1,000 international applications for industrial designs through the Hague system, fully demonstrating the high importance Chinese companies attach to design protection and their strong willingness to actively integrate into the global IP ecosystem. With its outstanding industrial design capabilities, Shanghai SHYLON Optoelectronic Technology Co., Ltd, a Chinese enterprise won the First-Ever WIPO Global Awards in 2022, which has further demonstrated that China has become an important pole in the global innovation landscape. WIPO will continue to provide closer and better IP services to Chinese companies.

Mr. Bai Guangqing, Director General of International Cooperation Department of China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), expressed in his speech that Beijing has accumulated a wealth of experience in promoting the international development of intellectual property and has created many successful practices of relying on intellectual property to promote the sustainable development of the city, making a new contribution to the construction of a new development pattern in the capital, and also becoming a window to showcase a good image of China's intellectual property protection to the world.

Mr. Yang Dongqi, Director General of Beijing Municipal Intellectual Property Office (BMIPO), said that design is continuously empowering Beijing's innovation development, and protecting intellectual property is protecting innovation. As the political centre, cultural centre, international communication centre and international science and technology innovation centre of the country, Beijing has a long and rich historical and cultural heritage and a vibrant modern innovation energy, and a high level of intellectual property protection has become an important driving force for Beijing's high-quality development.

Mr. Jin Xuejun, President of Beijing Intellectual Property Court, shared the development of the administrative cases of patent authorisation and confirmation of rights, including designs, under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Beijing Intellectual Property Court nationwide. He said that Beijing will continue to increase the judicial protection of intellectual property rights including design patents, participate deeply in the international governance of intellectual property rights, and promote the development of relevant international rules in a more balanced and inclusive direction.

During the forum, Beijing Industrial Design Promotion Association, Beijing International Design Week Co., Ltd., Xiaomi Group and relevant agencies jointly released the "Industrial Design IP Protection Initiative", calling on the industry to respect and protect IP, follow international rules, abide by professional ethics and strengthen industry self-discipline. Beijing International Design Week Co., Ltd. and King Gong Mansion Museum held a signing ceremony at the forum on the cooperation of IP licensing for derivative cultural and creative products.

In the keynote session, Mr. Chen Dongliang, Vice President of the China Industrial Design Association, shared the evolution of industrial design and explained the important role it plays in the overall development of cities and in people's real lives. Ms. Gao Xiaoyu, Deputy Director of the Examination Division of the Design Examination Department of the CNIPA, analysed the current situation of design patents and said that the various initiatives undertaken by the national functionaries have been effective in promoting the development of the relevant industries. Mr. Jonah Arthur, Coordinator of the Brand and Design Sector of WIPO, introduced the legal basis and international development of the Hague system and how to use the Hague system to submit, manage and search international applications of industrial designs online.

Ms. Rui Songyan, Senior Judge of Beijing Intellectual Property Court, analysed the legal issues related to GUI protection in the context of actual trial cases and proposed new directions for improvements to design legislation. Mr. Etienne Sanz de Acedo, Chief Executive Officer of the International Trademark Association (INTA), said that the INTA will continue to support Chinese brand owners to enter the international market and international brand owners to enter the Chinese market. Ms. Li Yanjun, Senior Director of Patent Management at Xiaomi Group, emphasised that design is an important intellectual achievement and an important component of high quality patents, and made suggestions for further improvements to the current design patent system.

The Panel Discussion was presided over by Ms. Chen Yuanqing, Executive Director of Beijing Wisdom Overseas Intellectual Property Research Institute. Mr. Jonah Asher, Ms. Gao Xiaoyu, Ms. Li Yanjun, Mr. Wang Yudong, Deputy Director of the Organizing Committee Office of Beijing International Design Week, Mr. Yang Su, Director Architect of Beijing Architectural Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd. and Ms. Liu Xinlei, General Manager of IPRdaily Frontier Technology Co., Ltd, based on their respective area of work and experience, shared their views and insights on industrial design and IP protection as well as the role of design as a driver for quality urban development.

As an important part of the 2022 CIFTIS, this forum, with the theme of "Design Makes Life Better, Hague System Empowers Going Global", focused on the exchange and discussion on how IP could empower urban development and aimed to enhance Chinese users' awareness, understanding and application of the international protection and Hague system for industrial designs. The forum was jointly organized by the WOC, the BMIPO and the Beijing Intellectual Property Court. Officials from the embassies of the United Kingdom, Russia, Canada, Japan and Korea in China, representatives from international organisations such as the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property, the Licensing Executives Society International and the INTA, as well as renowned experts and scholars in the fields of IP, technology innovation, design and creativity from home and abroad, and representatives from entreprises and industry associations attended the forum.

About the 2022 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS)

China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) is an event co-sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce of China and the Beijing Municipal People's Government. CIFTIS has been successfully held for eight sessions and was upgraded to a national level exhibition in 2020. It has become the global largest comprehensive fair for trade in services and the leading fair for trade in services in China.