Recently, the first anniversary of the establishment of World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) Office in China (WOC), State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) Commissioner Shen Changyu was interviewed by Samar Shamoon, Head of WIPO Media Relations Section. "Since its establishment, WOC has played an important role in strengthening communication and cooperation between China and WIPO". Shen Changyu highly praised WOC's work during the last year. He also said intellectual property should provide strong support for the innovative development of economy and society.

"Currently China's economic development has entered the new normal. In this situation, innovation has an increasingly important role to play." Shen Changyu said intellectual property can be seen as a bridge and bond between innovation and economic and social development. This is because the intellectual property system itself has three important mechanisms. First, it is a new intellectual property arrangement mechanism. By granting property rights of innovative achievements, this mechanism ensures the innovation subjects' legal rights to dominate and use their innovation and gain profits from achievement transfer and conversion. Second, it is an innovation encouragement mechanism. The system protects innovators' legal rights and stimulates people's innovation enthusiasm. Third, it is also an effective market mechanism, specifying transfer rules specific to intellectual property which features intangibility. It enables intellectual property rights to be transferred and converted successfully under the market environment and deliver benefits.
 
"China is implementing its intellectual property action plan and attempting to build an intellectual property power. International communication and cooperation on intellectual property is an important component and has important significance on promoting China's innovative economic development". Shen Changyu said when Li Keqiang, Premier of the State Council of the P.R.C. met with WIPO Director General Francis Gurry in July, 2014, he proposed the great aim of making China an intellectual property power for the first time. To be specific, China will follow the principle of "sharing resources between entities of different sizes and at various levels, close cooperation between cities and provinces, and proper use of domestic and international resources" to build an intellectual property power of world-class standard with distinctive Chinese characteristics" and better protect and support innovation-driving development. We will strengthen international communication and cooperation through integrating domestic and foreign resources, which will bring benefits and convenience to intellectual property rights holders and intellectual property users, encourage innovation and create a good environment for intellectual property and innovative development. To integrate domestic and foreign resources, SIPO has signed 29 new international bilateral and multi-lateral cooperation agreements and implemented 142 international cooperation agreements in 2014. On the Meeting of IP5 Heads and Deputy Heads of Offices held in China in May 2015, SIPO signed the first document in the history of five offices' cooperation, "Joint Statement of the IP5 Offices" with all sides, and upgraded the five offices' cooperation idea and level. SIPO also established intellectual property cooperation mechanism with the BRICS. All these achievements provide new driving force to the innovative development of the economy.

Shen Changyu believed that during the year since WOC was built, it has established effective communication channels and good cooperation relationship with relevant departments, including SIPO. Through efforts such as training and promotion, WOC further strengthened cooperation between China and WIPO and showed a charming prospect. It will not only facilitate the two sides in exchanging and sharing information and experience but also help disseminate SIPO's achievements to the world and boost China's economic development.

"SIPO wishes to further enhance the communication and cooperation with WIPO and WOC in the future and provide powerful support for the innovative development of China's economy," Shen Changyu said.

2015-08-17

2015-08-17