The Shanghai event of the National Intellectual Property Publicity Week debuts on April 26. [Photo/WeChat account: Shanghai_IPA]

East China's Shanghai recently reaffirmed its commitment to intellectual property, or IP on the occasion of the 24th World Intellectual Property Day.

It did so by inaugurating the Shanghai event of National Intellectual Property Publicity Week and the 2nd Shanghai Intellectual Property Services Conference on April 26 in Jing'an district.

The conference, an important step in further improving Shanghai's business environment, was attended by senior officials such as Yang Fan, director of the Public Service Department of the China National Intellectual Property Administration, or CNIPA.

Also present was Rui Wenbiao, director general of the Shanghai Intellectual Property Administration, SIPA, and Yu Yong, Party secretary of Jing'an district.

CNIPA's Yang underscored its support for Shanghai's IP efforts and pledged to work together to forge a distinctive IP development path with Chinese characteristics.

He emphasized the key role of IP rights in promoting economic openness and innovation, and in cultivating a world-class business environment in Shanghai.

For his part, SIPA's Rui Wenbiao articulated Shanghai's commitment to strengthening IP as a fundamental element in enhancing the city's competitive edge.

He outlined the ongoing reforms and measures to promote innovation and entrepreneurship through comprehensive IP protection. Plans are for SIPA to enhance the application and transformation of IP, positioning Shanghai as an international hub for knowledge capitalization.

The city's achievements were highlighted on the day with the recognition of 10 exemplary cases of patent applications and conversions, with contributions from prestigious institutions such as Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Tongji University.

The unveiling of the Shanghai Intellectual Property Services Development Report offered an in-depth analysis of the milestones of Shanghai's public IP services, providing market players with invaluable insights and statistics. At the same time, the new Intellectual Property Database Public Service Project was launched.

Looking ahead, Shanghai is poised to strengthen its IP promotion efforts and foster a culture that reveres knowledge, innovation, integrity and fair competition.

This cultural focus is seen as being an integral part of Shanghai's overarching ambition to become a global IP bastion and a leading capital in the field.