On September 8 to 9, 2026, the 15th China Intellectual Property Annual Conference (CIPAC) was held in Beijing. Inaugurated in 2010, the CIPAC is a high-end platform for showcasing China's development in the intellectual property sector, facilitating exchanges on cutting-edge industry topics, and promoting related services.
Featuring one main forum, 13 parallel sessions and over 20 events, this year's conference brought together representatives from government, industry, academia, research and application sectors at home and abroad to jointly explore new IP pathways to serve the country's innovation and development objectives.
On September 8, an INTA Session: Connecting China and the World – Know Before You Go Report Series Release was hosted by the International Trademark Association (INTA).
The event was kicked off by the keynote speech delivered by Heather C. Steinmeyer, INTA Chief Policy Officer. Ms. Steinmeyer underscores the key roles INTA China Representative Office plays in supporting the globalization of Chinese companies. She urged the Chinese companies to continue leveraging the organisation’s global membership network, combining local know-hows with IP expertise and partnering with domestic and oversea stakeholders, in order to succeed in the international market.
The session features informative introduction on the EU design registration regime, the US IP regime, the Regional IP Protection Regime under the Unified European market and the dovetailing with the national regimes of member states, among others.
He Wei, Partner at Wanhuida Intellectual Property attended the event in the capacity of INTA China Task Force expert. By delving into the Swiss IP regime, Wei cautioned that Switzerland, as a non-EU member, has an independent IP regime. Chinese companies seeking to enter the Swiss market are therefore advised to assess their options based on the local reality, rather than resorting to their approach in the EU jurisdiction.
The event was concluded with the official release of the third installment of the Know Before You Go report series. Drafted in Mandarin, this series of guides covering more than 40 jurisdictions is designed to equip Chinese brand owners with the essential knowledge and actionable strategies to protect their IP abroad and navigate the complexities of international markets. The guides cover the main areas of IP prosecution, enforcement, and strategies of IP protection, with the latest edition expanding to patents, industrial designs, and copyright.
He Wei (R1)