On June 30, SAIC and WIPO jointly organized China Trademark Awards Ceremony in Yangzhou of Jiangsu province to commend the departments and individuals getting remarkable achievement in trademark innovation, utilization, protection and effective use of Madrid International Trademark Registration System. Zhang Mao, Minister of SAIC and Francis Gurry, Director General of WIPO were present at the ceremony and delivered a speech respectively. Liu Junchen, vice Minister of SAIC hosted the ceremony.
Zhang Mao firstly showed his thanks to WIPO for the support and help to China’s trademark development and congratulated the winners. He commented that the selection of China Trademark Awards were the exhibition on achievements made by enterprises, administrative departments and judicial organs in utilizing trademark and brand to serve economic development, and would form a demonstration effect to promote the comprehensive improvements of public on trademark and brand awareness.
Zhang Mao introduced that with the continuous release of policy bonus brought by business system reform and the constant increase of new registered enterprises and public innovation vitality, China’s trademark and brand had a quick development and got remarkable achievement. China had become a real trademark big country. In 2016, China’s trademark application reached 3.691 million, increasing 28.35% compared with the year 2005, ranking number 1 in the world for consecutive 15 years. By the end of May 2017, the accumulative trademark application was 23.842 million, the accumulative registration was 1.547 million, and the trademarks still in force were 13.222 million. Trademarks owned by every ten thousand market entities were 1448 increasing 34.8% from 1074 in 2011. Currently every 7 market entities owned one effective trademark.
Zhang Mao indicated that China’s trademark protection achieved remarkable results and fostered sound competition for brand economy’s development. The constant improvement on trademark utilization and brand value provided strong support for trademark and brand strong country building. China’s trademark and brand value increased constantly. In World Brand Consultation Company Millward Brown’s BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands, the listed Chinese brands increased from 1 12 years ago to 13 currently, and brand values increased 937%.
Zhang Mao stressed to comprehensively deepen the understandings on importance of trademark and brand building, to firmly grasp the development opportunities brought by IP strategy, innovation driven development strategy and Belt and Road initiatives to promote the change from Trademark big country to Trademark and Brand Strong country.
Zhang Mao required the AICs and Market Supervision departments to comprehensively display the functions and actively promote the implementation of trademark and brand strategy and incented trademark and brand’s instructive roles in promoting economic transformation, and contributed for serve entrepreneurship and innovation, promoted updates of supply and requirement structure, and boosted China’s economic transformation and development. He required to firstly focus on “delegating powers, streamlining administration and improving service” to constantly improve trademark registration service and promote trademark registration facilitation. Second was to practically strengthen trademark administrative protection and innovate in supervision, strengthen credit supervision and improve efficiency. Third was to comprehensively construct brand foster system to clarify government, enterprises and market relationships. Fourth was to strongly enlarge brand development international space and actively support Chinese enterprises and domestic brand “going out”.
China Trademark Awards selection was approved by National Coordination Group for selection and encouragement and jointly organized by SAIC and WIPO. In this year’s selection, 7 departments including DJI-Innovations were rewarded by trademark innovation awards. 7 departments including PEAK sport were rewarded by trademark utilization awards, 4 departments including BAIC Haidian branch and 2 individuals were rewarded trademark protection awards, and 5 departments including Huawei were rewarded special awards for Madrid International Registration.
Relevant officers from WIPO, delegates from the Supreme People’s Court, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Commerce, State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the Customs, China Food and Drug Administration, leaders from Yangzhou city, leaders from internal departments of SAIC and from AICs and Market Supervision Departments of each province, autonomous region, municipality, and representative from the winning departments and individuals joined the ceremony.
