China's Patent Annual Conference on Monday was renamed as China Intellectual Property Annual Conference as the event kicked off in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, marking its 10th year and also the first time it is held outside Beijing. 

In a congratulatory video message, Francis Gurry, head of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), called the move an elevation of the conference, which now includes not only patent information but also segments on trademarks, industrial design, geographic indications and others.

According to Shen Changyu, director of the China National Intellectual Property Administration, intellectual property protection has come a long way in China, from the exploratory provisional regulations on patents in the 1950s to the establishment of a modern intellectual property system after the implementation of the reform and opening-up policy and the launch of a national intellectual property (IP) strategy outline in 2008. 

"The progress China has made in intellectual property protection in recent years is recognized by the world. We have established a legal framework covering all types of IP and joined almost all IP-related international treaties," said Shen.  

Shen added that China is a firm advocate of international IP cooperation and rules, and is against any form of trade protectionism in the name of IP protection.  

The conference also saw China establishing 10 more Technology and Innovation Support Centers in cooperation with WIPO, a program first initiated during China's National Intellectual Property Promotion Week in April. To date, China has 17 such centers, and the national IP administration said its goal is to increase the number to about 100 by 2021 when patent search and service networks cover all of the country. 

(Cover: The 10th China Intellectual Property Annual Conference. /CGTN Photo)