The resident-in-charge of AGIP China Office, Ms. Ridab Abutaleb, took part in the Trademark Protection & Western Economic Development Forum held at the Jinjiang Hotel in Chengdu, Sichuan province, China August 31- September 1, 2004.
The two-day forum, which was hosted by Quality Brand Protection Committee (QBPC) of the China Association of Enterprises with Foreign Investment, concentrated on one major theme: “The role and importance of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) protection in the development of
China’s Western region.”
Expert speakers from different professional bodies, business groups, government as well as representatives from Sichuan Administration for Industry and Commerce, State Administration for Industry and Commerce, Sichuan Intellectual Property Office, Trademark Office of Sichuan Administration for Industry and Commerce and other professional organizations involved with Intellectual Property participated in the forum.
Several topics were tackled in the forum including: History and progress of IPRs in China, importance of trademark protection for economic development, importance of IP protection and customs and border control, raising awareness of IPR protection among the public, current international trends in trademark examination, exclusive right vis-à-vis trademark right and trademark vis-à-vis trade dress.
Member companies of QBPC gave case studies on legal issues regarding trademark protection and provided information on how to differentiate between genuine and fake products. These companies included: NOKIA, GORE TEX, TOSHIBA, P&G, DOW CORNING, and SYNGENTA.