WIPO China: WIPO Hosts High-Level Roundtable with Enterprises in Beijing: Director General Daren Tang Champions IP as Catalyst for Innovation and Economic Growth

Beijing, September 13 – The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) hosted a High-Level Roundtable with Enterprises in Beijing, where Director General Daren Tang delivered a keynote address emphasizing the transformative power of intellectual property (IP). Mr. Tang stressed that IP is not merely a legal construct but a strategic resource essential for business innovation and economic growth. The roundtable provided a platform for industry leaders to exchange insights on IP protection, commercialization, and its role in global competitiveness.

Voices from China’s Innovation Leaders

Representatives from top Chinese enterprises, WIPO GREEN partners, leading universities, WIPO Global Award winners, and traditional cultural inheritors presented their views on IP’s role in fostering innovation and addressing challenges in the digital and green economies.

Enterprises Leading Innovation through IP: Huawei, Tencent, and Zhongguancun

Fan Zhiyong, Vice President and Head of Intellectual Property at Huawei, highlighted the company's outstanding IP achievements, noting that by 2023, Huawei's R&D investment surpassed 1 trillion yuan with over 336,000 global patent applications. The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) has provided an important protection channel for Huawei's cutting-edge technologies, with Huawei submitting 4,637 PCT applications in the first eight months of 2024.  Fan expressed Huawei’s gratitude for WIPO’s support and called for further optimization of IP services to increase the utilization of patents.

Diao Yunyun, Vice President of Tencent, addressed the unprecedented copyright challenges brought about by the digital economy, especially the surge in infringement issues affecting high-cost games like Black Myth: Wukong. She called on WIPO to leverage its global influence to foster international cooperation in copyright protection, especially in the fast-growing sectors of online content and live streaming.

Li Yan, General Manager of Zhongguancun Development Group, discussed how the Group supports innovation through IP, particularly among the 17,000 enterprises under its guidance. She emphasized the role of IP in driving tech innovation and described the Group’s efforts to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with IP protection and commercialization. She looked forward to expanding collaboration with WIPO to strengthen IP’s contribution to tech development.

Response from Daren Tang to Huawei, Tencent, and Zhongguancun

Mr. Tang praised the companies for their significant contributions to global innovation, emphasizing the strategic importance of IP in driving their success. He acknowledged Huawei's contributions in PCT applications and reiterated WIPO's commitment to improving PCT services through user feedback surveys to enhance the experience for Chinese companies.

Regarding Tencent’s concerns about copyright infringement in the digital era, Mr. Tang stressed the need for international collaboration to address these issues, especially in areas like live streaming, where infringement is rampant. He highlighted WIPO Alert, a global initiative aimed at tackling IP infringement, and pledged further cooperation with China to enhance enforcement measures.

Mr. Tang commended Zhongguancun's leadership in fostering innovation and recommended that the Group share its best practices internationally to help build a global innovation ecosystem. He also encouraged further integration within their parks to facilitate cross-sector collaboration, particularly between AI and hardware innovation.

Universities Driving IP Education and Innovation

Prof. Cui Guobin from Tsinghua University emphasized the critical role universities play in IP ecosystems through academic research and talent cultivation. He highlighted the need for educational reforms to improve practical skills training, especially in interdisciplinary collaboration, and noted that the newly launched IP Master’s Degree Program could serve as a platform for such reforms.

Yao Weihao, Director of Science and Technology Development at Peking University, shared the university’s achievements in improving IP management and commercialization through initiatives like a high-value patent cultivation fund. He underscored the importance of fostering a strong IP culture and deepening collaboration with WIPO to advance innovation.

Response from Daren Tang to Universities

Mr. Tang expressed appreciation for Tsinghua and Peking Universities' contributions to China's IP ecosystem, particularly their role in shaping future generations of IP professionals. He encouraged both universities to expand their IP education initiatives, incorporating practical skills and interdisciplinary collaboration. Mr. Tang also proposed launching pilot projects in major cities like Beijing and Shanghai to develop diverse career paths for IP professionals, from IP lawyers to strategists and evaluators.

Green Technology and IP: GCL and CATL Leading the Way

Liu Tao, Deputy Director of Silicon Materials R&D at GCL Group, highlighted the company's transformation from traditional to renewable energy and its impressive portfolio of 5,000 patents. Liu described the company’s leadership in green energy innovation and its efforts to maintain competitiveness through technology and international cooperation.

Sun Mingyan, Chief IP Officer at CATL, discussed CATL’s global leadership in power battery innovation, having accumulated over 25,000 patent applications and ranking among the top PCT applicants worldwide. He emphasized CATL’s commitment to open collaboration and the use of IP as a tool for fostering green industry growth.

Response from Daren Tang to GCL and CATL

Mr. Tang acknowledged the pivotal role that GCL and CATL play in advancing green technologies and highlighted the growing importance of IP in facilitating global energy transitions. He introduced WIPO GREEN as a platform for promoting the international dissemination of green technologies and encouraged both companies to explore flexible patent fee models to accelerate the adoption of green technologies in developing countries.

Traditional Culture and IP Protection

Xi Wang, inheritor of Yangliuqing wooden New Year paintings, discussed how digital technologies are helping to preserve traditional culture. He introduced the "Old Edition Revival" project, which uses digital methods to restore traditional woodblock paintings, ensuring their relevance to modern audiences. Xi emphasized the role of copyright in protecting cultural heritage and expressed hopes for further international collaboration in this area.

Response from Daren Tang to Xi Wang

Mr. Tang praised Xi for his dedication to preserving China's intangible cultural heritage and emphasized the critical role that IP can play in safeguarding traditional arts in the digital age. He encouraged the use of technology to adapt and protect cultural heritage, ensuring that it continues to thrive.

Medical Technology and IP: Empowering Startups

Shi Yilun, CEO of Beijing Healinno Technology, shared how his company's innovative water jet surgical robot, developed with interdisciplinary technologies, has received international acclaim following their WIPO Global Award win. Shi called for more IP support for SMEs and startups to help them navigate international markets and protect their innovations.

Response from Daren Tang to Healinno

Mr. Tang applauded Healinno for its cutting-edge work and emphasized the importance of supporting startups through IP services. He noted that WIPO is committed to lowering barriers for SMEs through training, subsidies, and simplified IP application processes, ensuring that they can effectively protect their innovations and expand into global markets.

Environmental Innovation and IP: A Global Vision

Zhang Lieyu, Director of the Watershed Center at the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, highlighted China’s growing investment in environmental protection technologies. However, he pointed out that SMEs face challenges when navigating international patent applications and legal systems. Zhang called on WIPO to provide guidance in helping Chinese green technologies enter global markets.

Xie (Tonny) Hongxing, Director of the Bluetech Clean Air Alliance, introduced the progress of WIPO GREEN's Beijing pilot. Beijing Yanfeng Plastic Omnium Automotive and Waves (Shanghai) Biology Science &Technology reached collaboration on Biological Treatment of Organic Wastes in Beijing pilot, and this collaboration helped Waves Biology recently won a bidding of nearly 12 million RMB still in organic compounds treatment. He emphasized the importance of the role of IP in international cooperation to boost the global competitiveness of China's green technology enterprises.

Response from Daren Tang to Environmental Innovators

Mr. Tang commended both Zhang and Xie for their efforts in advancing environmental innovation through IP. He highlighted WIPO GREEN's role in promoting eco-friendly technologies globally and encouraged collaboration between companies and international platforms to address pressing environmental challenges. Mr. Tang called for greater flexibility in patent fees and processes to facilitate the transfer of green technologies to developing countries.

Beijing's IP Leadership

Meng Bo, Director General of the Beijing Municipal Intellectual Property Office, congratulated WIPO on the success of the roundtable and expressed gratitude for its support of Beijing’s IP ecosystem. He highlighted Beijing’s leadership in IP, with over 11,400 PCT applications in 2023 and a high patent ownership rate. Meng reaffirmed Beijing’s commitment to fostering innovation through robust IP protection and development.

Global Participation and Director General's Closing Remarks

In his closing remarks, Director General Daren Tang reaffirmed the vital role of IP in driving innovation, economic growth, and cultural preservation. He stressed the need for international cooperation to build an inclusive and dynamic global IP ecosystem that benefits all, especially SMEs, startups, and innovators tackling global challenges like climate change.

Approximately 60 delegates attended the roundtable, including WIPO Deputy Director Generals Wang Binying and Hasan Kleib, and Liu Hua, Director of the WIPO Office in China.