Cloud services enable us to communicate virtually in real time during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the morning of April 20, the launching ceremony of National IP Publicity Week 2020 was held online. State Councilor Wang Yong gave important instructions on the publicity event.

CNIPA Commissioner and Director of the Organizing Committee for the Publicity Week Shen Changyu and WIPO Director General Francis Gurry delivered their speeches online. Leaders from the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Supreme People’s Court, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Commerce, the National Health Commission, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the China Association for Science and Technology, and other institutional members of the Publicity Week's Organizing Committee delivered their speeches respectively.

The theme of the Publicity Week this year is “Intellectual Property and Healthy China.” The event is co-held by 20 central ministries and agencies, including the CNIPA, the State Administration for Market Regulation, and the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, and is unfolded concurrently nationwide. The launching ceremony of the Publicity Week was held online to help fight COVID-19 while involving a wider range of participants.

At the launching ceremony, Shen Changyu said that the COVID-19 epidemic made everybody feel more deeply the value of life and the importance of health. In the field of intellectual property, the national intellectual property system has done a good job in COVID-19 prevention and control by actively following the important instructions of General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping and the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council. This has achieved positive results in facilitating enterprises to resume work and production. Intellectual property is closely linked to human health, which can be seen from strengthening the protection of intellectual property rights, promoting the innovation and development of the healthcare industry, developing more innovative drugs and precision medical devices, and improving treatment capacity and level. Better protection can enable traditional Chinese medicine play its unique role in medical treatment and disease prevention. Through vigorously developing the geographical indication industry, we can cultivate more new plant varieties, create more well-known brands, and ensure food safety and high-quality goods for people. By protecting trademarks, copyrights and distinctive marks, we will promote the development of cultural industries and sports, and enrich people's spiritual and cultural life. Through protecting human genetic resources, we will shore up a special health and safety barrier. All these will be a main focus in future intellectual property work. He hoped that with a better role of intellectual property in facilitating the Healthy China initiative, the goals of health for all and a comprehensive moderately prosperous society will receive effective support.

In his speech, Francis Gurry expressed sincere wishes and greetings to those fighting COVID-19 and those affected by it.  He also explained the profound meaning of the theme of World Intellectual Property Day 2020: Innovate for a Green Future. Francis Gurry affirmed China's outstanding performance in intellectual property. He said that China had always been playing a constructive role in international intellectual property affairs. The Chinese government has taken many measures, including organizing National IP Publicity Week, to encourage and reinforce the protection of intellectual property rights, and to encourage Chinese enterprises at home and abroad to strengthen the creation, protection and application of intellectual property rights.

Leaders from institutional members of the Organizing Committee for the Publicity Week, including the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, said in their speeches that with stronger awareness and guidance of intellectual property, we will improve the judicial protection system for intellectual property rights, maintain a high-pressure crackdown on crimes that infringe on intellectual property rights. In the meantime, we will strengthen international cooperation in intellectual property protection, pay more attention to intellectual property protection in health and sanitation, enhance intellectual property protection involving forestry and grassland, and provide technology support for promoting the protection and application of intellectual property rights, among others. These measures will help us promote the prevention and control of COVID-19 and economic and social development as a whole. They will work as a guarantee to accelerate the building of a strong intellectual property country.

On behalf of 30 intellectual property protection centers in China, China (Wuhan) Intellectual Property Protection Center has issued an initiative to the whole society to strengthen intellectual property protection in healthcare and boost the innovation and development of the health industry. Representatives from all walks of life, including frontline medical staff, media reporters, intellectual property professionals, representatives of Chinese and foreign enterprises, primary and secondary school students shared their thoughts on "intellectual property and healthy China."

During the Publicity Week, institutional members of the Organizing Committee will organize nearly 50 publicity activities in various forms. Among them, the CNIPA and the National Copyright Administration will jointly hold a press conference on China's intellectual property development in 2019 at the State Council Information Office. The State Administration for Market Regulation will issue a progress report on China's intellectual property protection and business environment. The National Copyright Administration will hold the 5th National Conference on Copyright Protection and Development in Digital Environment. The Supreme People's Court will issue an annual report on intellectual property cases. The Supreme People's Procuratorate will issue an overview of the protection of intellectual property rights. The Ministry of Science and Technology will carry out thematic activities to publicize relevant policies on the commercialization of technological achievements. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will start corporate patent analysis in key areas of manufacturing industry. The Ministry of Public Security will unveil typical cases of cracking down on intellectual property crimes. The Ministry of Justice will organize publicity and educational activities on the rule of law in intellectual property. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will publicize exemplary cases on the protection of new plant varieties. The National Health Commission will organize a symposium on the use of intellectual property rights to facilitate research on epidemic prevention and control. The General Administration of Customs will organize bulk disposal of infringing goods. The National Forestry and Grassland Administration will display the achievements and highlights of intellectual property rights involving forestry and grassland. The CNIPA will hold open day activities. The China Association for Science and Technology will organize a cloud class program on corporate patent strategy. Also, localities nationwide will carry out over 1,000 publicity and awareness activities on the Publicity Week theme to further enhance the awareness of intellectual property rights across the society.

The launching ceremony of this Publicity Week was aired live on the CNIPA website, the official websites of some institutional members of the Organizing Committee for the Publicity Week, People.cn, and China.org.cn. (Translated from CNIPA Website Chinese Version)