The 2016 US Embassy’s Ambassador’s IPR Roundtable was organized on May 6 in Beijing. Guests including officers from both US and Chinese governments, representatives from the law and academic circles, and senior managers from enterprises attended the event. Liu Junchen, vice minister of SAIC made a speech on the topic of Implementing Trademark Strategy and Fostering International Brand, which drew a wide concern by the guests.
Liu Junchen stressed the protections to trademark, brand and IP rights meant the protections to wisdom, creation and innovation, which were significant to both enterprises and governments under the circumstance of a difficult recovery in global economy. Liu Junchen expressed in details on the enhancement of enterprises’ brand awareness, the strengthening to brand protections, the increase on trademark and brand values, and the promoting of trademark and brand communications between China and the US.
Liu Junchen mentioned that since the issuing of National IP Strategy Outline in 2008, the Administration for Industry and Commerce and the Market Supervision Department actively promoted the implementation of trademark strategy, which was a strong impetus for China’s brand development. Currently in China, every 7.5 market entities had a valid registered trademark. In 2015, there were 2321 Madrid international trademark applications filed by Chinese applicants which ranked number six in the Madrid Union. With the annual increase in trademark applications, trademark infringements and counterfeits were also effectively controlled.
Liu Junchen pointed that Premier Li Keqiang stressed in his government report to foster the craftsman’s spirit which pursuing excellence in all aspects, to increase varieties, qualities, and to foster brands, the Chinese golden brands. The thirteenth five-year plan also indicated to stress trademark and brand legal protections, and to foster a set of competitive famous brands. The implementation of trademark and brand strategy and the development on brand economy were important methods under new situations to promote popular entrepreneurship and mass innovation, the important routes to promote innovative development for Chinese economy, and important directions for the transformation of Made in China to Innovated in China, and of Chinese products to Chinese brands.
Liu Junchen introduced that the economic developments in China and US deeply blended and the cooperation also expanded for quite a long time. SAIC and USPTO had also kept a friendly relation for many years. In the future, SAIC would like to make further improvement on trademark registration and administration, trademark exclusive rights protection, to create a fair, competitive and transparent brand development environment for all enterprises including the ones from US.
The Ambassador’s IP Roundtable initiated in 2002, and was one advanced level IP dialogue hosted by US Ambassador, which was an important platform for conducting communication and enhancing understandings in IP issues between China and US. This year’s topic was “Trademark: Fostering International Brand”.
