In April 4, 2016, the fifth National Geographical Indication Trademark Photography Competition, sponsored by Trademark Office of State Administration for Industry and Commerce and China Private-Owned Business Association, organized by Brilliance Magazine, completed successfully. The competition received about 800 photography works and after the primary selection and final selection, appraised one work for top grade award, three for first grade award, five for second grade award, and ten for third grade award. All appraised works and selected ones would be edited into the Work Selections for the Fifth National Geographical Indication Trademark Photography Competition.
Compared previously, this year’s competition had rich subjects and brought in more fresh elements. Competitors with the cameras, vividly depicted the regional environment, growing process, manufacture technology, quality character, historical inheritance of the Geographical Indication trademark products, and the production tool, production method, inheritor, cultural background involving those products. They displayed various relations between Geographical Indication trademark and social life, such as the food safety, ecological culture, and craftsman spirit.
Geographical Indication trademark is one of important intellectual property, which plays important roles in helping the stronger development of characteristic industry, improving popularity of characteristic products, and promoting regional economic development. Its brand effect is displayed gradually in the country and even the world. Statistics from Researches on Geographical Indication Trademark and Regional Economic Development issued by Trademark and Economic Development Relationship Project Team of Trademark Office, revealed that the product price would increase averagely 50.11% after the registration of Geographical Indication trademark, and Geographical Indication trademark would generate 5.2 times production for relevant industry, and increase 3.34 times job opportunities, 53.38% Geographical Indication trademarks turned to be the pillar industry for regional economic development, and in some area, the income from Geographical Indication products accounts for 65.94% of total income. For the past year, departments of administration for industry and commerce and of market supervision at all levels seriously followed the requirement of the General Office of the State Council of Notifications of Divisions for Relevant Policies and Measures on ”Implementing Several Opinions of CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Accelerating the Development of Modern Agriculture Industry, and Comprehensively Increasing Rural Development Vitalities”, joined with related departments, actively conducted the action using trademarks to enrich farmers, strengthened the protections on Geographical Indications and agricultural products trademarks, positively promoting the income increase for farmers, the development for agricultural industry and the stable for rural areas, which served the three agriculture general situation, made remarkable achievement, and got wide recognition by local governments.
With the joint efforts, the protections on Geographical Indication trademarks in China were improved gradually, and some trademarks with important influences emerged aggressively. By the end of 2015, 2984 Geographical Indication trademarks were registered in China. In local provinces, the registrations also increased and for nine provinces, the registrations surpassed one hundred, for example: Shandong (425), Fujian (272), Hubei (249), Jiangsu (215), Chongqing (201), Zhejiang (190), Sichuan (164), Yunan (131), and Liaoning (100). Geographical Indications from other countries in China were 83 registrations. There were also 2.056,1 million trademarks in relating to agricultural products.
To improve the recognition and influence of Geographical Indication trademarks, to involve the whole society for concerning and supporting Geographical Indication trademarks’ development and protection, the six National Geographical Indication trademarks photography completion would start in this May. Photographers are welcomed to use the cameras to explore Geographical Indication trademarks’ culture connotations, and to promote relevant products’ development and utilization, and to activate Geographical Indication’s functions in promoting characteristic industry and regional development. Detailed way for sending photography works would be released by China Brilliance Website and Brilliance Magazine.
