As this new wind of global digital economy is blowing across the world, the Second Session of EU-China Intellectual Property Innovation Cooperation Webinars themed “Intellectual Property in Digital Economy” was held on July 16, 2020. The webinar is supervised by Legal Affairs Department of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), organized by EU-China Joint Innovation Center (EUCJIC) and co-organized by Business College of Beijing Union University and Benelux Chamber of Commerce in China. With substantial support from China IPR SME Helpdesk from European Commission, CCI France Chine, Renmin Business School of Renmin University of China and W&H Law Firm and other organizations the webinar also worked with National Business Daily as the exclusive media partner.

Guest speakers including Mr. Chao Liu, Director-General of Legal Affairs Department of CCPIT, Mr. Patrick Nijs, Co-founder of the EUCJIC and Former Belgian Ambassador, Mr. Xuewei Li , President of Beijing Union University, Mr. Michele Ferrante, External Expert at China IPR SME Helpdesk of European Commission and Founder of Ferrante Intellectual Property, Mr. Hugo Wang, Director of Chinese Intellectual Property Research Association and President of Techvisum, Mr. Zhongli Zhang, Director of Intellectual Property Department of Hisense Group, Mr. Joe Huang, Director of EU-China International IPR Center of the EUCJIC have participated and shared their expertise on the status quo, recent policies and future directions of digital economy, which would shed light on the new technologies, IP protection measures and application rules in the newly-emerged IP industrial services. The webinar was steamed live in both Chinese and English language on Zoom and National Business Daily, and broadcasted in live-broadcasting platform including Sina Weibo, Toutiao, and Douyin, there are more than 200,000 total audiences watched the live broadcast including many invited partners from the EU states embassies, chambers of Commerce, Chinese and European enterprises and universities, etc.

The webinar started at 14:00 with the Director of European Affairs Center of the EUCJIC, Ms. Zhang Shasha being the moderator. As the supervisor of the webinar, Mr. Chao Liu, Director-General of Legal Affairs Department of CCPIT delivered the first speech. He introduced China's efforts to protect intellectual property in the era of digital economy. The Chinese government has not only issued a series of related laws and regulations, but also strengthened the protection in the judicial and administrative fields. At the same time, the CCPIT will also work with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and establish the China International Intellectual Property Arbitration Commission this year to ensure the protection and development intellectual property in the era of digital economy.

On behalf of the host of the webinar, Mr. Patrick Nijs, Co-founder of the EUCJIC and Former Belgian Ambassador said that “the COVID-19 has sped up considerably the digitalization of China and even the whole world. Therefore, we need to see how the existing framework of IPR protection can be upgraded to meet the emerging requirements.” At the end of his speech, Mr. Nijs also mentioned that the EUCJIC will continue to further enhance the cooperation and exchange in innovation, entrepreneurship, science, technology, trade and commerce between the EU and China.

As the co-host of the webinar, Mr. Xuewei Li , President of Beijing Union University expressed that as a higher-educational university that actively participating the international and regional digital economy cooperation, Beijing Union University has always insisted on the pioneering progress of digital economy research and made innovative contributions, as well as a series of fruitful international exchanges and cooperation. He pointed out that "in the context of the efforts of both Chinese and European leaders to promote the stable development of China-EU relations in the "post-epidemic era", exchanges and cooperation between the school and EU will be more meaningful and valuable."

In his keynote speech, Mr. Michele Ferrante, External Expert at China IPR SME Helpdesk of European Commission and Founder of Ferrante Intellectual Property shared his experience of EU SMEs with IP protection in Digital Economy when internationalizing to China. He also advised the enterprises to build a Comprehensive China Strategy for IP Protection in the Digital Economy.

As the Director of Intellectual Property Department in Hisense Group, Mr. Zhongli Zhang deeply analyzed the issues of intellectual property protection both in China and Europe in the digital economy, including the global licenses issued by the courts in specific countries, the comparable licensing rates, as well as the external licensing by the European Copyright Protection Organization.

Mr. Hugo Wang, Director of Chinese Intellectual Property Research Association, and President of Techvisum talked about the related intellectual property management and other issues that need to addressed in the era of digital content industry.

On behalf of the host, Mr. Joe Huang, Director of EU-China International IPR Center of the EUCJIC presented the practical application cases of patent leasing in digital intellectual property transactions, and deeply analyzed the current situation and future of intellectual property patent transactions.

The Second Webinar on EU-China Intellectual Property Innovation Cooperation was successfully concluded with the Q & A session. Where the professional and in-depth answers given by the speakers have won unanimous recognition and praise from the audiences both in Zoom Meeting Room and the Live Stream platforms.

To download the slides of the keynote speakers in this webinar, please follow the official account of the EU-China Joint Innovation Center, and enter the reply “20200716” in the dialog box. Following webinars, events, and other activities will also be announced on the official WeChat.