CPA Attends AIPPI China Youth IP Seminar 2023

On 17-18 March 2023, the Chinese Group of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI China) held the 2023 AIPPI China Youth IP Seminar in Chongli district, Zhangjiakou city of Hebei province. Mr. Tian Lipu, president of AIPPI China, and Mr. Zhang Guilin, director of Chongli District People's Congress Standing Committee, were invited to attend the opening ceremony and delivered speeches.

The event gathered more than 100 participants including judges from the Supreme People's Court of China, experts from the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), and patent attorneys, trademark attorneys, and lawyers from different parts of the country. The seminar featured 11 sub-forums on topical intellectual property issues, including 9 sub-forums using English as the conference language and 2 in Japanese.

China Patent Agent (H.K.) Ltd. (CPA) assistant general manager and AIPPI China board member Mr. Xiong Yanfeng, together with CPA Legal Affairs Department manager Mr. Wen Dapeng attended the meeting. CPA further participated in the event with its Legal Affairs Department deputy manager Mr. Li Tao presiding over the partial design sub-forum, and trademark attorney Ms. Zhang Dongli, litigator Mr. Ma Butian, and patent attorney Ms. Zhang Jingchen speaking for various sub-forums.

Ms. Zhang Dongli spoke on "Examination, Challenges, and Suggestions Concerning Bad-faith Applications for Registration of Trademark Not-For-Use". She analysed the judgment criteria of non-use of trademark, elaborated in combination with actual cases on the challenges and adverse consequences faced by the actual right-holders, put forward some feasible proposals for responses, and recommended precautions for risk avoidance.

Mr. Ma Butian's speech, entitled "Sufficient Disclosure of Artificial Intelligence Patents", focused on the significance of interpretability for AI inventions, and the necessity and difficulty in proving interpretability in patent applications, as well as the impact and value of data in AI inventions. He also gave suggestions on the manner of data disclosure.

Ms. Zhang Jingchen's speech, on the theme of "Points to Note in Filing Partial Design Applications", expounded, on the basis of the draft amendments of the Guidelines for Patent Examination, the special requirements and issues to pay attention to as related to patentable subject matters, design views drawing, and brief description, and offered filing strategies for design patent applications from the perspective of a patent attorney.

For the first time, this seminar set up the "Best Moderator Award" and "Best Presentation Award", the winners of which were decided by on-site voting of the participants. We are glad to share that Mr. Ma and Ms. Zhang both won the best performance award.