The Shanghai International Intellectual Property Forum is an international conference on intellectual property being co-hosted by the China National Intellectual Property Administration or CNIPA, the World Intellectual Property Organization or WIPO and the Shanghai municipal government.

Since its establishment in 2003, it's been successfully convened 19 times. In 2014 and 2018, the Shanghai local government and WIPO signed a Memorandum of Understanding or MOU on Cooperation in the Field of Intellectual Property and the Supplementary Agreement to the MOU.

These stated that "the two parties will explore new forms of cooperation for the Shanghai International Intellectual Property Forum to extend its international influence".

As a high-level international IP forum co-hosted by an international organization, a State ministry and a local government, WIPO, CNIPA and the Shanghai municipal government all attach great importance to the development of the forum.

It's been demonstrated by leaders from the three hosts attending and addressing the forum for multiple times. In addition, the forum has become an influential event in the world IP field and a preeminent platform for China to showcase its IP development.

Under the theme of "Strengthening Legal Protection for Intellectual Property, Fueling Innovation-Driven Development of Digital Economy", the 20th Shanghai International Intellectual Property Forum will be held in Shanghai in December 2023.

It will have the aims of implementing the country's series of important instructions on IP, fully implementing the guiding principles from the 20th CPC National Congress, the decisions and plans of the Party Central Committee and the State Council on work related to IP.

It will also have the aims of actively participating in global IP governance under the WIPO framework and building Shanghai into an international IP hub and an international highland for IP protection, thereby giving full play to the important role of IP in economic development and scientific innovation.

The forum will bring together experts and academics from home and abroad, draw on cutting-edge IP governance philosophy and the experience of economic development and scientific innovation in the world and explore the digital IP protection system. This will further unleash the power of the IP system in fostering new growth engines and facilitate the creation of new competitive edges in support of the development of the digital economy.

Both virtual and on-site sessions of the forum will be held. During them,  representatives from international organizations, government authorities, associations, research institutes, universities, enterprises, IP service platforms and agencies from home and abroad will engage in in-depth exchanges and discussions.