The 2023 EU-China Forum on Criminal IP Enforcement, co-organised by the Quality Brands Protection Committee of China Association of Enterprises with Foreign Investment (QBPC) and IP Key China, concluded successfully on 18-19 October.

In the margins of the 4th edition of the International Intellectual Property (IP) Mediation Conference which took place in Alicante from 19 to 20 October 2023, a bilateral meeting was organised between Executive Director Mr João Negrão and Director General of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), Mr Rowel S. Barba.

Successful conclusion of three-day intellectual property exchange for European and Chinese prosecutors

The three-day intellectual property exchange for European and Chinese prosecutors has concluded successfully. Since 2014, the EU and Supreme People’s Procuratorate of China have collaborated on multiple occasions with the technical support of the IP Key China project, including peer-to-peer exchanges, study visits, training sessions, and online seminars.

On 13 December 2023, the EU-China roundtable on copyright protection in the digital environment was successfully held in Harbin, China. This meeting marked the ongoing in-depth cooperation between the IP Key China Project and the National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC).

The European Parliament has given its strong endorsement to new European Union (EU) regulations aimed at preserving the geographical indications (GIs) of craft and industrial products, following the example of existing rules for agricultural products. The new rules extend protection to prominent non-food products such as lace, glass, natural stones, jewelry, and porcelain throughout the EU and globally.

The IP Key China Project Leader, Ms. Gyta Berasnevičiūtė-Singh, was present at the 12th China Intellectual Property Annual Conference in Jinan on 20 September and delivered a presentation highlighting the importance of constant exchange between international stakeholders. Ms Berasnevičiūtė-Singh expressed her pleasure at participating in this nationally renowned intellectual property conference on behalf of the IP Key China project and emphasised that the project will continue to support EU-China exchanges on intellectual property rights. 

European and Chinese judges can already claim long-lasting and productive judicial cooperation. This cooperation began with an EU-China judges forum, held in February 2016, supported by IP Key. Both the forum, and notably the follow-up workshop, reflected the mutual interest in peer-to-peer exchanges and the sharing of best practices, as well as building a foundation for continuous cooperation.

In order to support Peru, Colombia and Chile in their preparations for possible accession to the Madrid Protocol and the Hague System, representatives from these countries visited the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO - Alicante) and the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM) between 18 and 22 September. The visit was organised by the IP Key Latin America project, funded by the European Union. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) also collaborated in this initiative.

IP Key China organised an IP Café on the EU-China geographical indications cooperation on 21 September in Beijing, China. This event brought together European Union authorities, experts and academics from the EU and China for comprehensive discussions on the challenges and issues, sharing best practices and promoting international cooperation.