The WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center and Chongqing Higher People's Court sign an agreement. [Photo/WeChat account: Shanghai_IPA]

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Arbitration and Mediation Center has extended its services to central and western China through a cooperation agreement with the Chongqing Higher People's Court. The agreement was signed on June 1 in Chongqing, marking a significant step in expanding alternative dispute resolution in the region.

This partnership makes the Chongqing Higher People's Court the first local court in central and western China to collaborate with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center. Wang Shumei, a member of the Adjudication Committee of the Supreme People's Court, and Wang Binying, deputy director general of WIPO, attended the signing ceremony.

Wang Shumei highlighted this cooperation as crucial for implementing China's national intellectual property (IP) strategy and enhancing Chongqing's role as a key hub for IP protection. Wang Binying emphasized WIPO's commitment to using IP to drive global innovation and expressed optimism about resolving international IP disputes through this collaboration.

The signing ceremony was held at the Chongqing First Intermediate People's Court, with Ignacio de Castro, director of the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center, and Li Yongli, president of the Chongqing Higher People's Court, signing the agreement.