Source: China IP News

Recently, Francis Gurry, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) sat down with China Intellectual Property News for an exclusive interview during his attendance at the opening ceremony of the inaugural China International Import Expo (CIIE).

"This is a grand event," Gurry said, "The First CIIE is just like a jewel in the crown of China's opening up to the outside world. As President Xi Jinping said in his keynote speech, China's door will never be closed, and it will only open still wider. The successful holding of the First CIIE has shown that promoting domestic demand growth will become a new impetus to China's economic development and will also make new contributions to world economic growth."

"President Xi Jinping emphasized the importance of IPRs in the keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the first CIIE. This is also in line with President Xi Jinping's consistent position that IP is an important part of China's national strategy for innovation-driven development, playing an increasingly important role in promoting innovation and development," said Gurry.

During the past 40 years of reform and opening up, China has made remarkable achievements in the construction of IP system. It has become the second largest source of international patent applications under the framework of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and the third largest applicant for the Madrid International Trademark Registration System. "IP protection is closely related to innovation because it helps us better protect the competitive edge of a country," Gurry said. "China ranks No.17 in the 2018 Global Innovation Index Report released by WIPO, becoming the first middle-income economy among the top 20 in the world. In the field of the world IP system and global IP protection, China is playing an increasingly important role as a major power, and has also made positive contributions to the development of innovative economy and international rules."

During the first Expo, Shanghai Municipal Government and the WIPO signed a Supplementary Agreement on the Memorandum of Understanding on Development Cooperation in the Field of IPRs. Gurry said that the two sides have realized fruitful cooperation in IP personnel training, protection and international cooperation. With the conclusion of the contract, the two sides will deepen cooperation in the areas of promoting IP commercialization and application, building a diverse dispute resolution mechanism and strengthening training of IP professionals, which may enable more IP international resources to choose Shanghai.