The 18th Shanghai International Intellectual Property Forum opens on Oct 19. [Photo/WeChat account: shanghaifabu]

The 18th Shanghai International Intellectual Property Forum – with its theme of "Intellectual Property Protection and International Cooperation in the Era of Digital Economy" – opened on Oct 19 in the city of Shanghai in East China.

Li Qiang, Party secretary of Shanghai, attended and addressed the opening ceremony.

Among dignitaries delivering speeches were He Rong, executive vice-president of the Supreme People's Court and Shen Changyu, commissioner of the China National Intellectual Property Administration, or CNIPA. Daren Tang, director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization, or WIPO, delivered a keynote speech by video link.

Li Qiang said in his remarks that Shanghai was making every effort to build itself into the IP center for the Asia-Pacific region and was striving to become a place renowned for the realization of global IP values.

The city would actively participate in global IP governance and deeply integrate itself into the global innovation network, Li said.

For his part, He Rong told the ceremony that Chinese courts would continue to strictly protect all kinds of IP rights in accordance with the law and serve to ensure the country's development of IP.

Meanwhile in his speech, CNIPA's Shen Changyu said the administration had carried out in-depth research and practice on data IP protection and adopted multiple measures to promote the high-quality development of the digital economy.

The awards ceremony of the third WIPO-SMPG Shanghai IP Innovation Award is held on Oct 19. [Photo/WeChat account: shanghaifabu]

The awards ceremony of the third WIPO-SMPG Shanghai IP Innovation Award was held during the ceremony.

The Shanghai International Intellectual Property Forum is being co-hosted by CNIPA, WIPO and the Shanghai municipal government and assisted by the Shanghai Intellectual Property Administration. The four-day forum is being held both onsite and online.

Launched in 2003 and having run successfully for 17 years, the forum is said to have become China's heavyweight international IP forum.