Intl seminar on IP professionals held at Tongji University

Joe Bradley, head of Academic Institutions Program of WIPO Academy, delivers a speech at the seminar. [Photo/Tongji.edu.cn]

The International Seminar on Intellectual Property Talents was held at Tongji University, on Sept 19.

With support from China Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), the seminar was hosted by China Intellectual Property Training Center (CIPTC) and Shanghai International College of Intellectual Property (SICIP) of Tongji University.

More than 100 senior officials and scholars attended the seminar, including Joe Bradley, head of the Academic Institutions Program of WIPO Academy; Marta Chikowore, counselor at the Academic Institutions Program of WIPO Academy; Gan Shaoning, deputy commissioner of CNIPA; Ma Fang, inspector of the Human Resource Department of CNIPA; Sun Wei, vice-dean of CIPTC; Lei Xinghui, vice-president of Tongji University; Li Jianchang, secretary-general of the CPC committee of SICIP; Yu Xinmiao, vice-dean of SICIP, and other delegates from the Korean International Intellectual Property Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, Yeshiva University, and the European Institute for Enterprise and Intellectual Property.

Tongji University Vice-President Lei Xinghui delivered a speech at the ceremony, which was presided over by Ma Fang, inspector of the Human Resource Department of CNIKA. In his speech, he said that SICIP would work with WIPO and other colleges, in order to make use of the geological advantages of Shanghai and further enhance the training of professionals.

Joe Bradley recalled the development of WIPO Academy and said that he looked forward to its future work. He pointed out that the mission of the academy was to provide all its member states with world-class IP education, training, consultations and research services.

A partnership with CIPTC might help WIPO to accomplish its aim of training global IP professionals, he said.

Gan Shaoning, deputy commissioner of CNIPA, outlined the current level of expertise in the Chinese IP sector, and the development of Chinese IP institutions and agencies. He suggested strengthening the training of IP professionals in three areas: the sharing of experience, high-level collaboration, and by enhancing academic communications.

Following the ceremony, attending scholars were invited to share their views on three themes –– public policies and services in the training of IP professionals; thoughts and challenges on the design of an IP curriculum, and diversified participation in IP training systems and international training models.

The first session was chaired by Song Xiaoting from SICIP of Tongji University. During the session, Ma Fang, inspector of the Human Resource Department of CNIPA, introduced the main work done by CNIPA to train IP professionals; Martha Chikowore, Counselor of WIPO Academy, introduced the training programs and judiciary organs training project of the academy; Hyun Sung-hoon, the president of Korea International Intellectual Property Research Institute, introduced the current situation of public IP education in South Korea.

The second session was presided over by Gao Qiang, director of the Education Division III of the CIPTC. During the session, Song Wei, dean of the School of Public Affairs of University of Science and Technology of China, gave a lecture titled “Some Thoughts on the Design of Master's Courses in IP”; Ioannis Kokkoris, chief professor in law and economics from Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom, introduced the design of the IP education system and the practices of the university; Michael Burstein, vice-dean of Cardoso Law School at Yashiwa University, and his colleague Professor Felix Wu introduced the international IP education offered in the United States.

The third session was presided over by Yi Zhi, director of the Training Division of Human Resource Department of CNIPA. During the session, Sun Wei, vice-dean of CIPTC, shared some of the experiences and practices of the training center; Yu Xinmiao, vice-dean of SICIP of Tongji University, shared his experiences of the management of SICIP and international IP education and training in the school; Antoine Dintrich, director-general of the European Institute for Enterprise and Intellectual Property, shared the key role played by IP training in supporting business innovation; Lin Xiuqin, dean of the IP Research Institute of Xiamen University, introduced the activities and experiences of IP workers training at the National Intellectual Property Training Base in Fujian province; Lu Guoqiang, deputy director of the Committee of Cultural and Historical Documents of Shanghai People’s Political Consultative Conference, introduced the contribution made by the Shanghai Intellectual Property Administration in training international IP workers in the process of building a global science and technology innovation center in Shanghai.

During the question and answer session, participants enthusiastically asked questions on a variety of different areas related to IP.

The participants all agreed that with the development of a national IP strategy and the transformation of its methods, the training of highly-skilled foreign IP experts has become the focus for the next stage of IP training. And many of the participants claimed to have benefited from attending the seminar, and some spoke of how they hoped to attend more such events in the future.

Scholars take part in a question and answer session. [Photo/Tongji.edu.cn]