WIPO China: Fostering Regional Synergy and Charting a Course for Intellectual Property and Sustainable Development

April 29, 2024

Beijing, April 19 - The 2024 China's National Intellectual Property Publicity Week Copyright Theme Event and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Copyright Collaborative Development Forum were successfully held at the Communication University of China. The event, organized by the National Copyright Administration of China along with local copyright bureaus of Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei, featured speeches by attendees including Ms. Liu Hua, Director of the WIPO Office in China, and Mr. Tang Zhaozhi, Deputy Director General of the National Copyright Administration of China.

During the forum, Ms. Liu Hua highlighted the theme for World Intellectual Property Day 2024: "IP and the SDGs: Building our common future with innovation and creativity". She celebrated the achievements of Chinese participants in past events, including young designers Li Binglu and Cai Qing'e, who won third prize in the 2022 World IP Day Youth Video Competition, and Zhang Chaoying, a Li textile technique inheritor, who won first prize in 2023. Currently, Lu Wenhui from Tianjin is competing for this year's People's Choice Award with his video, "The Heritage of Chinese New Year Woodblock Prints."

Ms. Liu Hua also underscored the enormous potential for collaborative development within the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, backed by Beijing's ranking as the 4th leading global science and technology hub according to the 2023 Global Innovation Index. She pointed out Tianjin's strengths in manufacturing and port logistics and Hebei's vast market potential, suggesting these attributes could help elevate the region's cooperative growth.

Ms. Liu Hua emphasized the pivotal role of WIPO in promoting copyright cooperation and sharing exemplary Chinese cases of copyright protection, such as Jiangsu Nantong textiles, Jiangsu Wujiang silk, and Fujian Dehua porcelain. She encouraged the region to showcase these successes on global stages like World IP Day and to engage deeply in forthcoming diplomatic conferences on treaties related to intellectual property, genetic resources, and traditional knowledge. Additionally, she mentioned the expansion of the WIPO-China Summer School program to six prestigious Chinese universities, inviting applications from institutions in Tianjin and Hebei to further intellectual property education.

In his address, Mr. Tang Zhaozhi stated that the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region serves as an important engine for China's economic development and an epicenter for cultural innovation. It undertakes significant responsibilities and missions in the areas of copyright protection, utilization, management, and service. He emphasized the importance of collaborative copyright development, calling for a summary of the achievements of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in copyright protection and industrial development, enhanced exchanges and cooperation, joint planning for the future, and contributions to the innovative development of the copyright industry.

Mr. Zhai Degang, Director General of Beijing Municipal Copyright Bureau, Mr. Zhang Ningning, Deputy Director General and Counsel of the Publicity Department of Tianjin Municipal Party Committee, and Mr. Wang Zhenru, Deputy Director General of the Publicity Department of Hebei Provincial Party Committee and Director General of the Provincial Film Bureau, expressed their commitment to leveraging the advantages of the three regions in terms of location and resources to promote diversified dispute resolution through resource integration, strengthen coordinated governance to ensure comprehensive protection of rights, and establish a copyright administrative and judicial protection cooperation mechanism covering multiple parties, coordinated linkage, efficient connection, and technological support. Mr. Chai Jianping, Vice President of Communication University of China, emphasized the importance of copyright to cultural innovation and economic development, introducing the achievements of the university in copyright research and education, as well as measures taken to transition to the era of artificial intelligence.

During the keynote speech, Mr. Zhao Changxin, Deputy Chief Judge of the Beijing Internet Court introduced the first case involving AI-generated image copyright in China that is under the jurisdiction of the Internet Court. The court's ruling took into consideration factors such as the distinctiveness of the images in question, the intellectual input and personalized representation of the plaintiff. Furthermore, the ruling comprehensively assessed the impacts on emerging industries, public interests, and other relevant factors, making it a focus and typical case.

Ms. Zhou Yu, Deputy Director General of the Art Exhibitions China, and Mr. Wang Tingxin, Dean of the Institute of Art of Communication University of China, emphasized the significant importance of copyright protection in the preservation, dissemination, and contemporary inheritance of digitized cultural heritage and traditional Chinese arts. They underscored the crucial role of relevant laws and regulations in this regard, advocating for the refinement and enhancement of copyright protection practices to facilitate the inheritance and development of traditional cultural arts.

The forum also unveiled the 2024 Beijing "4·26" Copyright Publicity Week, the Capital Copyright Night, and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Copyright Campus Activities.