The ongoing 128th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) is determined to provide technical support to protect company intellectual property rights by establishing an Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) protection mechanism.
From there, officials from government IPR departments will work as experts at the Complaint Station, together with Fair organizers, they will investigate and settle complaints about alleged infringement of IPR in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Fair.
“The Canton Fair has been actively exploring a complete IPR and trade dispute settlement mechanism to improve public awareness to the IPR,” said Quandong Liu, Deputy Director General of Foreign Affairs Office of Canton Fair.
“The online platform offers reliable protection to enterprises. We encourage companies to innovate based on IPR and therefore to create an impartial trade environment.”
Exhibitors can elect to put up a ‘technical barrier’ to protect their IPR by hand-picking visitors and potential buyers who browse their products and enter live stream showrooms through a technical filter.
To prevent infringement, trading delegations, chambers of commerce and associations are required to check, before and during the Fair, their respective exhibits, the packaging of these exhibits, promotional materials and any additional content to be on show.
In addition, exhibitors who hold the IPR or authorization can upload corresponding supporting documents, such as patent certificates, trademark registration certificates and voluntary copyright registration certificates through the Canton Fair’s official website for verification, and as something to use in response to any charges or appeals.
IPR Measures Protect Brand Interests
The Canton Fair IPR complaint settlement system is part of China’s commitment to encouraging innovation through IPR protection and in collaboration with legal efforts, has also brought confidence to global buyers looking to do business with China.
Vlady Cornateanu, President and CEO of Addiction, noted that the special system has enabled safe trade for all parties; exhibitors pay more attention to their IPR, and buyers have more trust in Chinese companies.
“The Fair will continue to strengthen the protection of IP rights and stabilize the quality of foreign trade. Only by protecting IP rights we can encourage more Chinese foreign trade enterprises to foster new competitiveness through innovation and introduce more advanced technologies and products to enter the Chinese market from foreign countries,” Liu added.
