Training Workshop on Intellectual Property Protection with Focus on the Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks Held in Kunming

On June 11, Training Workshop on Intellectual Property Protection with Focus on the Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks was held in Kunming, capital city of Yunnan Province. Deputy director of Madrid Operations Division of Madrid Registry of World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Wu Dongping, deputy secretary of China Trademark Association (CTA), and Fang Tao, Director of Intellectual Property Office of Yunnan Province (YNIPO) attended the opening ceremony. It was also joined by delegates from Yunnan Administration for Market Regulation, major export-oriented enterprises and trademark agencies.

Wu said that every enterprise faces the severe challenges of global economic integration, international market competition and international brand competition. Therefore, it is imperative for Chinese enterprises to prioritize trademark registration in order to go global. Many excellent Chinese brands now suffer from trademark squatting overseas, posing a great barrier to Chinese enterprises to expand the international market. The Madrid System covers countries with fastest economic development in the world, and features simple procedure, cost-effectiveness and high efficiency. Therefore, it is a good choice for Chinese enterprises to file international applications.

Fang Tao said against the backdrop of rapid economic globalization, enterprises need to focus on the creation and protection of intellectual property while going global. By 2017, the number of international trademark applications filed by Yunnan enterprises through the Madrid System reached 114, ranking 19th in China; but there is still a long way to go before we reach the goal of establishing first-class “green food brands” set by the Yunnan provincial government. It is expected that this workshop can serve as a platform for Yunnan Province to establish a sophisticated mechanism for international trademark registration, fostering and protection, help major export-oriented enterprises own independent trademarks in major export destination, and facilitate the going global of industries and products unique to Yunnan, so as to make greater contributions to high-quality economic and social development of Yunnan province.

This workshop, as the first cooperation between WIPO and YNIPO, aims to strengthen intellectual property protection, help major enterprises including foreign trade ones in Yunnan comply with international rules and gain a stronger position in overseas intellectual property. In addition, the workshop also seeks to raise the awareness of enterprises to safeguard legitimate rights and interests through the Madrid System in their efforts to establish international brands, and strengthen intellectual property protection in international competition. Leaders, experts and scholars from WIPO and National Intellectual Property Administration (NIPA) exchanged ideas on such issues as the latest developments of the Madrid System and its application in China, experience of foreign enterprises and the System’s role in promoting trademark application and protection abroad.