Proceedings get underway at the 2024 WIPO Global Services Workshop. [Photo/WeChat account: Shanghai_IPA]

The 2024 World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Global Services Workshop was held in East China's Shanghai on May 9.

Among the dignitaries present was Yu Chen, deputy director general of the Shanghai Intellectual Property Administration, or SIPA and Lv Guoqiang, senior counselor of the WIPO Office in China.

In a keynote speech, Yu underscored Shanghai's strategic efforts to bolster its status as an intellectual property or IP hub, seizing key opportunities and fostering international cooperation. SIPA is actively supporting the WIPO Office in China and the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center Shanghai Service to broaden their services and facilitate foreign participation in the IP agency field, helping enterprises in their global endeavors.

Lv Guoqiang emphasized the pivotal role of WIPO's global service system in safeguarding IP rights, with China being a significant user and contributor.

The WIPO Shanghai Service is set to enhance alternative dispute resolution services, strengthen ties with Chinese courts and develop new mechanisms for integrating litigation and mediation in foreign-related IP disputes.

The session featured discussions on the latest international IP trends and WIPO's alternative dispute resolution services.

Gong Xiaoyan, chief judge of the Intellectual Property Court in the Pudong New Area, and Sun Tianjiao and Ji Meng – researchers from the China National Intellectual Property Administration – provided insights on the Madrid System for international trademark registration and the Patent Cooperation Treaty or PCT system's application practices.

With over 120 participants from local IP enterprises and institutions, the event was widely said to be a testament to Shanghai's broader strategy to integrate into the global IP framework and its commitment to nurturing an innovative, cooperative environment.