INTA Strengthens Ties in Nanjing, China, Jiangsu Province

INTA led a delegation to Nanjing, China, on September 19, meeting with municipal government officials, and establishing formal contacts with local authorities for future collaboration.

INTA Chief Representative Officer, Asia-Pacific Seth Hays gave a keynote speech titled “What Brands Can Do in the Future” at the 2019 Global Trade in Services Summit in Nanjing, China, Jiangsu Province. The presentation was attended by more than 200 participants, representing local corporations and service providers. Speakers at the summit also included Sebastian Neusser (Kraus & Weisert, China), Angela Shi (New Balance, China), Zhao Faxi (Shanghai Kunjie, China), Guo Chenhui, (Suning Group, China), Lexie Morris (Whittard, China), and Pan Pan (ZTE, China).

Mr. Hays pointed out that, as the globalization of trade and investment increases, intellectual property (IP) issues play an increasingly important role in service trade, as reflected in recent surges in IP license fees in both imports and exports across the globe.

Mr. Hays went on to note that the continued growth of scientific and technological innovation has created a more complex and confusing field when it comes to consumer goods and services. He pointed to INTA’s Gen Z Insights: Brands and Counterfeit Products Study, which explores young consumers’ relationships with brands and their attitudes and perceptions of counterfeit products across 10 markets, including China. Mr. Hays highlighted one of the study’s key findings, which showed that as the influence and purchasing power of young consumers increase, so do their expectations of genuine brands. In that sense, he explained, counterfeiting is undermining consumer expectation and trust because it is diminishing the ability to protect consumers.

INTA representatives also met with the Nanjing IP Office and Nanjing Bureau of Commerce. Both sides expressed keen interest in deepening their mutual understanding and collaborating on as many fronts as possible, especially in facilitating communication between domestic corporations and law firms, with their counterparts around the globe.

Discussions also touched on how, over the past two years, the government of Nanjing has made tremendous efforts to accelerate its proactive engagement and harmonization of its IP landscape and trade facilitation in order to attract foreign investment. Officials are working to spread awareness of Nanjing as a “Metropolitan Area” and “Innovation City” and to encourage its local corporations to engage internationally on the world stage.

INTA also visited the offices of INTA corporate member Suning Group, located in Xuzhuang’s high-tech area, which is home to a dense population of pharmaceutical companies and Internet start-ups. INTA and Suning Group representatives discussed a pipeline of promising IP educational events that are planned in the region in order to unlock the full potential of robust collaboration in the near future.

INTA plans to deepen its partnership and collaboration with the Nanjing IP Office and the Nanjing Bureau of Commerce over the next two years, coinciding with the 2020‒2021 Committee term.

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 China Representative Monica Su atâ€¯[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.