INTA Provides Anticounterfeiting Insights at International Import Expo in Shanghai, China

INTA representatives participated in the Forum on International Cooperation in Fighting against IPR Infringement and Counterfeiting on November 5 in Shanghai, China, as part of the second China International Import Expo (CIIE). The purpose of CIIE is to promote imports into China to develop balanced and fruitful trade relationships across the globe. At the event, President Xi Jinping stressed the importance of strengthened protection of intellectual property (IP) rights.

The prestigious national-level event attracted thousands of participants, including national leaders, top corporations, and exhibitors from around the world. The conference encompassed numerous exhibits of importing companies sharing information on their products, including many INTA multinational corporate members.

During a panel discussion of industry representatives, INTA Chief Representative Officer Asia-Pacific Seth Hays delivered actionable results of INTA’s Gen Z Insights: Brands and Counterfeit Products study, which explores the relationship between Gen Zers and brands, and their attitudes and perceptions of counterfeit products. As Mr. Hays noted, the study provides valuable insight on how to position messaging to decrease the consumption of counterfeits by young consumers. Other companies represented on the panel were ABB, Corteva, Lego, Nike, QBPC, Tencent, Sinofaith, and Xiaomi.

Participants in the event also included representatives from the World Intellectual Property Organization, State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), and the Food-and-Drug-Related Crime Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security (MPS). The key themes of the Forum were innovation, development, and joint governance. SAMR Vice Minister Gan Lin shared China’s most recent accomplishments in combating IP rights infringement. Vice Minister Gan noted that from January to August, enforcement authorities in China handled 19,000 IP rights cases, and undertaken 28 campaigns, including the “Autumn Wind” campaign against fake pharmaceuticals. On the judicial front, more than 110,000 cases have been filed at the criminal, administrative, and civil levels under China’s “3 in 1” system, which groups IP rights cases together.

Deputy Director General Du Yan of the MPS Food-and-Drug-Related Crime Investigation Bureau provided details from the organization’s “Operation Kunlun” focusing on substandard food and medicine. Deputy General Du noted that recently there has been growing attention to cross-border cases. He explained that the third iteration of Operation Kunlun involved 2,700 cases, with 6,100 suspects arrested with the seizure of more than nine billion RMB in goods. He further noted the importance of smart borders, big data, and a new IP rights case investigation system to manage complex cases that involve numerous ministries in the government, provinces, and country partners.

Judge Lin of the Supreme People’s Court presented an overview of the judiciary’s work, which included 334,951 cases in 2018 on IP rights across China. He noted this was a 41 percent increase from 2017, with 95 percent of cases completed in that year, and 2,501 cases involving foreign IP.

Di Lianzhi (General Administration of Customs (GACC), China) said China’s IP rights enforcement actions have increased from January 2019 to September 2019 by 9.4 percent, to 13,156 total detentions. He explained that joint enforcement operations are becoming a priority for the administration, and previously included work with the Russian Federation on FIFA-related infringements during the World Cup. GACC continues to expand cooperation with other countries, with more than 100 memorandums of understanding with other countries, furthering work with international government organizations, and strengthening capabilities through trainings and sharing of best practices.

INTA’s China Representative Office, based in Shanghai, represents the Association’s 246 members in China. Working in collaboration with staff at INTA’s headquarters in New York City, the China Representative Office leads the Association’s policy, membership, marketing, and communications initiatives in this jurisdiction. To learn more about INTA’s activities in China, please contact INTA’s China Representative Monica Su at @[email protected].

Although every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of items in the INTA Bulletin, readers are urged to check independently on matters of specific concern or interest.