China

IP Key and Renmin University held the first EU-China IP roundtable with IP academics and judges. The purpose of the roundtable was to discuss how the EU and China, in particular academics, can work together to solve common issues in IP, be it drafting legislation, ways of sharing information and intervention.

This is the first time EU and Chinese academics have come together in this way to share their ideas in an open environment. The feedback from this meeting will help to develop the relationship further in the months to come.

Last July 2014, a ministry-led delegation of the Legislative Affair Commission at the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (LAC) travelled to the EU (Ireland and Denmark) to engage in a series of workshops and expert meetings organised by IP Key. The aim was to consult and exchange with European experts from PTOs, University, Government and law profession on various patent law reform policy issues.

In the context of the EU-China Action Plan (2014-2017) on IPR Customs Enforcement of IPR, IP Key organised a study visit of two customs officers from European member states to China from May 25 to 29, 2015. After the two working group meetings respectively held in Ningbo, China (May 6 to 9, 2014) and Rome, Italy (November 25 to 27, 2014), this visit aims at contributing to the Key Action 5 (KA5) – Exchange of knowledge and experience of each other’s IPR enforcement policies and practices – as set out by the aforementioned Action Plan. 

Dan Prud’homme of the IP Key Team met with Deputy Director General Hong Yongqing of the Shanghai Intellectual Property Administration (SIPA) to discuss potential cooperation between IP Key and SIPA in the coming year on an event to discuss the workings of the IP framework within the newly opened Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ).

Dan Prud’homme of the IP Key Team moderated a panel discussion on the "The Future of the Utility Model System" at an all-day seminar on utility model patents on December 11, 2013.

Ms Carmen Cano, Deputy Head of the European Delegation to China, Mr Zhang Xiangchen, Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, and Mr António Campinos, President of the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM), today launched the New EU-China Cooperation on Intellectual Property.

IP Key and SAIC organised two full day seminars on the Community Trademarks system y in cooperation with Liaoning and Heilongjiang AIC, addressed to Chinese business community, public officers and trademark attorneys.

Each of these seminars had 70-80 attendees among Chinese businesses, IP lawyers, IP consultants, government officials.

These events, respectively in Shenyang on September 25 and in Harbin on September 27, also allowed additional discussions on TM best practices with SAIC experts and enhanced international cooperation with local AIC on TM matters.

IP Key and Renmin University of China jointly organised the first EU-China IP Forum on the 10th May 2015, which discussed a number of key issues in the development of IP laws, policy and education.

 The forum brought together some of the most important IP minds in the EU and China to share and debate IP issues that affect the creation of an effective, fair and transparent system. Around 200 participants took part in the forum. Participants came from relevant sectors in governmental and diplomatic services, academia, legal services, industry, and industry associations. 

The China-EU Seminar on the Reform of PRC Anti-unfair Competition Law has been co-organized by IP Key and SAIC at the School of Administration of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province on June 10th, 2015 opening a series of technical training sessions for AIC officers organised by SAIC in the same week.

The seminar was addressed on the aspects as below:

  3rd Meeting of the IPR Working Group

Workshop on "Efficient Communication between Customs and Businesses on IPR Border Enforcement"

In the context of the EU-China Customs Cooperation Action Plan (2014-2017) on IPR Enforcement, IP Key is organising the “3rd IPR Working Group Meeting” and a workshop on "Efficient Communication between Customs and Businesses on IPR Border Enforcement”.