Contributing to the Development of the Global Intellectual Property Ecosystem with Chinese Strength. World Intellectual Property Organization | China | Ecosystem

"In the past 50 years, China has transformed from a member of the global intellectual property family to an important contributor to global intellectual property work, and has successfully transformed into one of the world's leading centers of innovation, creativity, and technology." Deng Hongsen, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization, recently stated at the World Intellectual Property Organization's home event, a series of events celebrating the 50th anniversary of cooperation between China and the World Intellectual Property Organization, that the World Intellectual Property Organization is willing to continue to strengthen cooperation with China and promote the construction and development of the global intellectual property ecosystem.

China's cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization continues to deepen

The 64th General Assembly of Members of the World Intellectual Property Organization is currently being held at the headquarters of the organization in Geneva, Switzerland, with over 1200 representatives from 193 member countries attending.

Entering the headquarters building of the World Intellectual Property Organization, the first thing that catches your eye is the Chinese and English logo hanging on the wall of the hall, which reads "50th Anniversary of China World Intellectual Property Organization Cooperation". On the exhibition board, precious photos record the significant events and achievements in China's cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization. In front of the exhibition area, there are also Chinese technological innovation products, including C919 domestic large aircraft models, new generation container ship models, artificial intelligence chess robots, and so on. The exciting exhibition content attracted many attending guests to stop and watch.

In the 50 years of cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization, China has become a true intellectual property power. In November 1973, the Chinese delegation went to Geneva, Switzerland as an observer to participate in the World Intellectual Property Organization Conference for the first time; In 1980, China officially became a member of the World Intellectual Property Organization; In 1994, the Chinese Patent Office accepted China's first international patent application under the Patent Cooperation Treaty; In 2012, the World Intellectual Property Organization successfully concluded the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performance in Beijing; In 2014, the World Intellectual Property Organization established a China office in Beijing; In 2019, China ranked first in the world in the number of international patent applications submitted through the Patent Cooperation Treaty; In 2022, China submitted its accession to the Hague Agreement on the International Registration of Industrial Designs and its ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty to the World Intellectual Property Organization

"I am very familiar with the two photos that led to the conclusion of the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performance, as I am one of the members in the photos." Michelle Woods, Director of the Copyright Law Department of the World Intellectual Property Organization, told reporters that in June 2012, the World Intellectual Property Organization's Diplomatic Conference on the Protection of Audiovisual Performance was held in Beijing. "The scale of the conference is huge, and all aspects of China's organizational work are excellent. A lot of effort has been put into the successful hosting of the conference, promoting all parties to ultimately achieve important results." Woods sat on the podium in the photo, applauding with other guests. He said, "The Beijing Conference reached an international copyright treaty to protect the rights of performers. When the negotiations were finally successful, people were overjoyed, and this photo was the scene at that time."

Relevant responsible comrades of the China National Intellectual Property Administration of China said that over the past 50 years, China's cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization has been deepening and achieved fruitful results. China will further participate in multilateral cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization and jointly promote the development of the global intellectual property governance system towards a more just and reasonable direction.

China's intellectual property industry has achieved leapfrog development

In recent years, China's intellectual property industry has developed rapidly, providing strong support for implementing innovation driven development strategies and promoting high-quality development. In 2021, the added value of China's copyright industry has exceeded 8 trillion yuan, accounting for 7.41% of the gross domestic product; The foreign trade of China's copyright industry is stable and improving, with a stable proportion of over 11% in the total national commodity exports for many consecutive years; In 2022, the total number of copyright registrations in China exceeded 6.35 million, which is nearly 8 times the total number registered in 2012.

Deng Hongsen said at the opening ceremony of the commemorative event, "In the 2022 World Intellectual Property Organization's Global Innovation Index ranking, China ranked 11th and first among middle-income economies worldwide. Nowadays, China is the largest user of the World Intellectual Property Organization's" Patent Cooperation Treaty "system, with 70000 patent applications from China in 2022, four times the number from 10 years ago. China is still the third largest user of the Madrid International Trademark Registration and Management System, with twice the number of trademark applications submitted in 2022. Although China only joined the Hague Industrial Design System last year, it is already the second largest user."

At the opening ceremony, a ceremony was also held for China's authorized entity to join the Global Book Service of the Accessible Books Federation. The representative of the National Copyright Administration of China has forwarded the authorized entity agreement signed between China Braille Publishing House, China Braille Library, and the World Intellectual Property Organization to the Deputy Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization, Fulban. Deng Hongsen stated that the Accessible Books Federation has achieved the goals of the Marrakech Treaty, committed to increasing the number of accessible format books and distributing them around the world. China's accession will deepen this work and create new opportunities for blind or visually impaired people in China and around the world. This is another milestone event in the cooperation between the World Intellectual Property Organization and China.

Forban said that China's authorized entity to join the Global Book Service of the Accessible Books Federation can help Chinese people with reading disabilities access books in over 80 languages worldwide, and also provide opportunities for people with reading disabilities worldwide to enjoy a richer variety of Chinese books, further expanding the impact of the Marrakesh Treaty on a global scale.

Officials from the National Copyright Administration of China have stated that since the entry into force of the Marrakesh Treaty in China, the Administration has continuously improved the supporting system for treaty implementation, strengthened supervision of authorized entities, and better met the reading needs of over 17 million visually impaired people in China. This has effectively promoted equal participation of people with reading disabilities in social life and the sharing of cultural development achievements. The National Copyright Administration of China will continue to do a good job in the implementation of the treaty, and promote China Braille Publishing House and China Braille Library to carry out cross-border exchange activities of accessible format versions through the Global Book Service of the Accessible Books Federation.

Intellectual property development benefits more people

In recent years, by strengthening the construction of the intellectual property protection system, traditional Chinese culture has spread more widely and the cultural industry has flourished. More and more Chinese artists are going abroad and going global.

After the opening ceremony of the commemorative event, Chinese artists presented a splendid and diverse cultural performance to the on-site guests in the lobby on the first floor. In the Chinese folk music performance "Huanqin", artists use instruments such as pipa, flute, erhu, etc., and use a large number of jumping notes to make the performance full of joy. In the Sichuan opera "Face Changing", the actors instantly change their facial makeup, vividly portraying the emotional changes of the characters, and winning multiple applause from the live audience. "Face changing performances should be a unique intellectual property in China. I have never seen such an engaging theatrical performance before, and I hope to have the opportunity to appreciate more of China's excellent traditional culture and art in the future." said a representative from Trinidad and Tobago attending the conference.

Jiang Song'en, a member of the International Association for the Promotion of the Commercialization of Intellectual Property Rights, told reporters that this is a very exciting performance that showcases the richness and diversity of Chinese culture. Chinese traditional culture has many important intellectual property rights, which are inherent brands of China, and all parties should recognize their intellectual property value. Judith Wilt, President of the International Intellectual Property Protection Association, played a game with an artificial intelligence chess robot in the exhibition area after enjoying a cultural performance. She told reporters that the Chinese government attaches great importance to intellectual property work, which is very important for economic development.

When it comes to the history of cooperation between China and the World Intellectual Property Organization, Jiang Song'en said, "I have carefully watched the historical picture exhibition and was very impressed. I also took many photos to share with friends. China's intellectual property industry has gone through 50 years and made important contributions to China's economic development. China's technological innovation benefits the whole society. As the intellectual property system continues to improve, China produces more and more high-quality technological products. I believe that in the future, China's intellectual property development will benefit more people."