Intellectual Property Minister encourages further IP collaboration between UK and China

Baroness Neville-Rolfe, Minister of State for Energy and Intellectual Property has returned from China after leading a successful IP delegation.Government Opportunities

The ministerial visit aimed to reinforce the strength of UK (i)-China collaboration on IP, and to highlight the important role it plays in supporting innovation and creativity in both countries.

The trip, between 20th and 27th August, took the delegation to Hong Kong (ii) , Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Xi’an and Beijing, and saw Baroness Neville-Rolfe witness a number of landmark agreements and new initiatives. Highlights included:

  • the witnessing of an agreement on IP protection between internet giant Tencent, the China Britain Business Council and British Businesses (iii)
  • the launch of a new UK-China Film and TV toolkit, designed to provide guidance for the rapidly growing cross border collaborations *the publication of business guidance on bad-faith trade marks in China, a resource which will support businesses to better understand the Chinese IP landscape (iv)
  • the launch of a factsheet to support Chinese companies with overseas IP protection and technology commercialisation, created in conjunction with CIPA and ITMA (v)
  • the co-hosting of both the 3rd UK-China IP Symposium (vi) and the UK-China Trade Mark Summit focussing on the relationship between brands, Intellectual Property and economic growth

The Minister held meetings with a wide range of Chinese companies including Tencent, Huawei, Alibaba, and Lenovo to discuss the increasing importance of IP and brand protection, as well as British businesses operating in China who have received support through the UK IPO Attaché network including BP, the Scotch Whiskey Association and Whittards of Chelsea.

The Minister’s delegation included representatives from the UK Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) and the Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (ITMA), British businesses and also the Presiding Judge of the UK Intellectual Property Enterprise Court, Richard Hacon (for the fifth annual UK-China IP judicial exchange), strengthening a wider focus on rule of law and enforcement.

Judge Hacon met senior judges at the Supreme People’s Court and specialist IP courts in Guangzhou and Beijing, and discussed priority topics such as bad-faith trademarks, copyright licensing and evidence disclosure.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe, UK Minister of State for Energy and Intellectual Property, said:

“It is very encouraging to see the momentous strides China is taking in the field of intellectual property. I am pleased that the UK is playing a vital advisory role and the UK’s IP regime is one that other nations wish to emulate.

The IPO-SIPO (vii) relationship has gone from strength-to-strength. The engagement throughout the visit has been excellent, demonstrating the strength of our relationship with China. IP cooperation is a central part of the UK-China bilateral relationship, underpinning our mutual passion for innovation and creativity.”

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