——the Second International Forum on Technology Innovation and Intellectual Property Protection has been successfully held

On November 16, it was the autumn with mild temperature and pleasant weather. The second International Forum on Technology Innovation and IP Protection, which was held in High-Tech Fair of the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center, was crowded with people. International practitioners of IP industries gathered in the Hall to participate in and to witness the grand ceremony. This is a professional and influential international forum in Shenzhen. During the forum, representatives from well-known international organizations, such as INTA and AIPPI, attended the conference. There were also famous intellectual property service organizations from more than 20 countries and regions, as well as many high-level experts and scholars from China and abroad, and IP supervisors and representatives of the from well-known enterprises attending the forum. The number of participants estimated over 500.

This forum was sponsored by Shenzhen Municipal Market Supervision Administration (Shenzhen Intellectual Property Office) and Shenzhen Enterprise Science and Technology Innovation Association, Shenzhen University, Intelligent Display Terminal Intellectual Property Alliance. It was also organized by Shenzhen Johnson Intellectual Property Agency (General Partnership) and Guangdong Fair Law Firm.

Kunshan Xia, Inspector as well as Secretary of the Party Committee of Shenzhen Municipal Market Supervision Bureau (Shenzhen Intellectual Property Office), has pointed out in his speech that Shenzhen attaches great importance to intellectual property and regards intellectual property strategy as one of the leading strategies in the innovation of Shenzhen, which fully stimulates innovation to drive new development momentum. Facing the major historical opportunities for the construction of Grand Bay District around Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macao and the construction of the first demonstration zone, we will first explore in improving the rapid synergy protection system for intellectual property rights, promoting financial innovation in intellectual property area, building trading centers for intellectual property rights and technological achievement rights, enhancing the value of intellectual property use, and creating a convenient environment for services. Then we may create the experience of Shenzhen, and strive to build a first-class base for becoming a powerful country of intellectual property. It is hoped that Shenzhen will examine the rules of intellectual property protection from an international perspective and will be promoted to build a business environment that is market-oriented, legalized and internationalized. This forum has promoted exchanges in seeking new methods and exploring new paths for technological innovation and intellectual property protection.

Subsequently, the INTA (International Trademark Association) first presented in the High-Tech Fair. On behalf of the INTA, Kowit Somwaiya has shared the dynamics and achievements of INTA over the years and the increasingly extensive cooperation with China. The issues of brand protection in Southeast Asia, which is of concern to Chinese corporations have been thoroughly analyzed and provided with many suggestions, and the parties presented were invited to participate in the INTA annual meeting in Singapore next April. INTA is a global association of brand owners and professionals dedicated to supporting trademarks and related intellectual property (IP) to promote consumer trust, economic growth, and innovation. Yi Li, Secretary-General of AIPPI China Branch, gave a detailed introduction to AIPPI's mission, long history, cooperation footprint and extensive cooperation and prospects with China. In October 2020, AIPPI will host the 2020 AIPPI World Intellectual Property Conference in Hangzhou. This is the first time that AIPPI will be held in China since it was established over 120 years ago.

In his speech, Hui Wang, the executive vice president of Shenzhen University, has introduced the concept of Shenzhen University adhering to the principle of “based on Shenzhen and serving the Dawan District.” The University also attaches importance to the promotion and transformation of scientific research achievements, has established long-term cooperative relations with many units. With the help of “High-Tech Fair” “Science and Technology Fair,” and other high-quality platforms, the University has published information on intellectual property achievements, which serves the local economy. He has also expressed that Shenzhen University looks forward to closer communications and cooperation with all parties and then jointly promote the transformation of the University’s scientific research achievements, when the University is on its way to effectively transform scientific research achievements into productive forces through scientific innovation as well as the protection and operation of intellectual property under the rapid growth of the current University’s scientific research achievements.

The forum has focused on the establishment of enterprises’ technology innovation and intellectual property alliance technology innovation and intellectual property collaborative service system, the Collaborative use of industrial technology innovation, and intellectual property. It also aims to promote the resource integration and mechanism innovation of related fields and to jointly build a common platform of protecting and applying intellectual property, which promotes the upgrade of the quality, efficiency, and level of the industry.

In addition, the forum has displayed and discussed the outstanding innovation achievements of some high-tech enterprises in Shenzhen over recent years. The discussion has focused on the issues of the application and protection of intellectual property, transfer and transformation, legal supervision, and infringement litigation, and has strived to find their countermeasures.

Facing the forefront of world science and technology, it has reflected the major leap of the city's and China's innovation and technological strength as well as the latest progress of major science and technology projects from many angles, including many leading areas, key industrial nodes, industry core technologies, and especially major breakthroughs in disruptive technology innovation.

The meetings in the morning and afternoon were respectively hosted by Yaodong Zeng, Director of Intellectual Property Protection Department of Shenzhen Intellectual Property Office and Director of Shenzhen University Technology Transformation Center, and Yanli Xu, General Manager of Shenzhen University Asset Management Co., Ltd. During the period, there was a signing ceremony of the cooperation between science and technology innovation and intellectual property rights protection. The Agreement on the Cooperation between Science and Technology Innovation and Intellectual Property Rights Protection was signed by Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Gaoxintou Group Co., Ltd., China (South) Intellectual Property Operation Center, Shenzhen Zhongcailian Technology Co., Ltd, Shenzhen Enterprise Science, and Technology Innovation Promotion Association.

As the Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Chief Compliance Officer of Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd as well as the First Executive President of the Intelligent Display Terminal Intellectual Property Alliance, Dr. Liuping Song has expressed his willingness to eliminate barriers and to share the common development results of human beings under the opportunity and situation of global economic integration in his speech, so that people can obtain products with better quality. However, in the process of globalization, there are also many problems and challenges. Therefore, legal issues should be returned to law, and technical problems should be returned to technology. But even if faced with challenges, it is the right direction to stick to the direction of globalization.

Wenquan Chen, Director of the Intellectual Property Department of Shenzhen Court, has come up with the instructions of "Strengthening the protection and application of intellectual property, and to create a first-class international business environment under the rule of law, which is stable, open and predictable", according to the "Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Supporting Shenzhen's Pioneering Zone for Building Socialism with Chinese Characteristics". He has emphasized the application and exploration of intellectual property trial institutions, the jurisdiction of intellectual property cases, the basic situation of the trials of intellectual property cases, and the prospects of intellectual property judicial protection, which are issues relating to legal aspects. He has also given a prospect of judicial protection actions on intellectual property in Shenzhen.

Wenqiu Liu, Executive Chairman of Shenzhen Enterprise Science and Technology Innovation Promotion Association which was the sponsor of the forum and Partner of Shenzhen Johnson Intellectual Property Agency (General Partnership), has mentioned in his speech that after the promotion of the last forum, more international friends as well as international intellectual property peers have had further understanding and have also deepened cooperation on science and technology innovation and the situation of intellectual property protection in China, especially in Shenzhen. He has also wished to continue to establish an opportunity for continuous exchanges and cooperation in Shenzhen, China, through this active platform, for those domestic and foreign peers who serve in the areas of science and technology innovation as well as intellectual property, to benefit the career development of them. When speaking of the “understanding of Johnson IP’s”, he has emphasized that innovation is the premise and core of the intellectual property, the ability to innovate is the key to high-value research and development achievements, and Johnson IP has made practice aiming at the seriously insufficient in the ability of innovation and intellectual property. In this regard, Johnson IP has developed a series of brand courses for the improvement of these abilities and has put them into practice, including the improvement of the level of consciousness as well as the abilities of management, innovation, patent and high-level capabilities, which helps the innovative business achieve a series of results.

In the speech of Changhe Yang, IP Director of the Intelligent Display Terminal Intellectual Property Alliance, he has explained the establishment of an intellectual property protection system for the intelligent display terminal industry, to promote the research and development of relatedproducts, standard formulation, and technological innovation. It is also necessary to improve the core competitiveness of the alliance enterprises, to guide the rational use of patents, to form a good atmosphere of respecting intellectual property, and to make the whole industry chain develop healthily and rapidly.

In a speech on the Shenzhen Enterprise Technology Innovation Promotion Association, "Let's work together to build a platform for international exchange of scientific and technological innovation and intellectual property", Wenqiu Liu, President of the Association, has showed some wonderful figures about Shenzhen, an innovation capital: there are more than 3,200,000 commercial subjects, more than 1,930,000 small businesses, 15,000 high-tech enterprises, nearly 400 listed companies and six 90%: more than 90% of innovative enterprises are local enterprises, more than 90% of research and development institutions are established in enterprises, more than 90% of research and development personnel are concentrated in enterprises, more than 90% of research and development funds are from enterprises, more than 90% of service inventions are from enterprises, and more than 90% of invention patents from major science and technology projects are originated from leading enterprises. Through the successful holding of two international forums, we have added confidence to our continued forum. We welcome more domestic and foreign institutions to participate in as the host, undertaker and co-organizers, to continue to explore the effective form and mechanism of the holding of forums, and to actively promote and publicize the forums to make more international counterparts participate in exchanges and cooperation, bringing opportunities and hopes for everyone's exchanges and cooperation!

Peng Wang, Director of Intellectual Property of Jinfa Technology Co., Ltd gave a speech on "Enterprise Intellectual Property Management under Global Expansion", and has introduced valuable experience to domestic enterprises and peers from the perspective of enterprise itself in coping strategies to foreign disputes encountered in the course of business operations, selection of foreign agencies, and control of foreign patent costs.

Jingchun Wan, Intellectual Property Law Manager of Shenzhen Shaoyin Technology Co., Ltd, has explained six major issues of high-value patent management from the perspective of products in “Practice Sharing on Hardware Technology Company's High-Value Patent Management", for example, what kind of technology/product is suitable for patent application, what is the budget for patent application, how can we layout patents, how can we maximize the use of technical submissions, etc.

The forum also invited professionals from China, the United States, Europe, Japan, South Korea, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and other countries in the field of intellectual property, bringing us the latest developments of intellectual property in each country and region. Among these professionals, Yongwen Wang, Founding Partner of Shenzhen Johnson Intellectual Property Agency, and Guangdong Fair Law Firm has interpreted the latest examination guidelines for patents in China and the amendments of trademark law in a simple way. At the same time, he has talked about enforcement after winning the case and has shared some cases. His speech has brought new ideas to the certainty and protection of patent and trademark rights for enterprises, which is enlightening for all the audience. We can't help but sigh that Johnson has more than 100 global services covered around countries and regions since its ten years of entrepreneurship, and more than 400 cooperative intellectual property offices. These achievements are acquired through their superb expertise and hard work.

Morgan Lewis and Bockius of the United States has brought the 2019 US Supreme Court intellectual property cases and has made a detailed analysis of the impact of the latest cases on Chinese corporations, which provides intellectual property protection for these enterprises in the United States. Timothy Wang from Ni, Wang & Massand, PLLC has given effective intellectual property litigation strategies and suggestions on how can the intellectual property made in China be granted abroad from the perspective of current sensitive and highly-regarded U.S.-China Trade War: to localize your intellectual property strategy, to seek professional assistance from the beginning, to improve compliance to minimize exposure to intellectual property risks, so that the peers have obtained many benefits.

Erik Krahbichler from KIPA European Intellectual Property Office has brought the program of shortening time for prosecution in Europe, from which enterprises have had an understanding of the “Early Certainty” program in Europe. Winter Brandl et. al. Partnership from Germany has brought us the strategies of conducting the intellectual property layout in Europe after Brexit.

Jian Sun, Director of TRY International Intellectual Property Agency from Japan, has shared the layout of the high-value combination with the case of Kao's blindfold and has stated that the accurate patent mining should follow the technology and it should be a multi-dimensional patent mining, to achieve the patent jungle. Hiroki Matsui, Partner of LEXIA PARTNERS from Japan and Chairman of the Appreciation Committee of the Japanese Scholars, has explained the significant revision of the related design system, the expansion of Graphical User Interface protection and the new protection of buildings and interior design. Shoko TSUTSUI, Deputy Director of TSUTSUI & ASSOCIATES from Japan, has shared the different filing numbers from China to Japan, the differences between patent and utility model in Japan, and the strategies to speed up the examination. These three intellectual property professionals from Japan have shared the knowledge of intellectual property in Japan from different perspectives, which gives the audience a deeper understanding of the current situation of intellectual property in Japan.

Dr. Hyuk-Sung Kwon, Patent Attorney and Managing Partner of Eruum and Leeon Intellectual Property Law Firm from Korea, has given a speech on "Efficient Patent Application Strategies in Korea for Chinese Companies", explaining the strategies of filing PCT application and Korean national application together, using Preliminary Examination, using the Rule of reviewing through Pre-Amendment Communication as well as the Rule of interviewing with Examiner, so that the audience will have a particular understanding of the Korean patent application. In the afternoon, Kim Tae-Hui, Patent Attorney of C&S Patent and Law Office from Korea, has made a relevant introduction on the recent trend of Korean applications and trials and the development of Korean intellectual property policy in his speech “The recent trend of intellectual property in Korea- strength intellectual property protection.” The speeches of these two Korean patent attorneys allow Chinese companies to learn more about how to use the latest development in the field of Korean intellectual property to lay out patents in Korea.

Xiaodi Wang, from Al Tamimi & Co. in the Middle East and Verarit Klawchit from Thailand, have respectively given us an introduction to the intellectual property in the Middle East and Thailand, to let the audience know about the intellectual property systems of different countries.

The forum was a great success.