In a bilateral meeting between the CNIPA Commissioner Dr. Shen Changyu and the EIPA Director General Mr. Woldu Yemessel held on the side lines of IPR conferences in Jinan(China) last week , both countries reaffirmed to scale up the existing partnership and strengthen bilateral relations on matters related to the innovation, utilization and protection of Intellectual property rights. Mr. Woldu appreciated the ongoing support of CNIPA and highlighted the need to upgrade the bilateral relations so as to include the GIs based IPR that highly support revitalization of rural economies and communities. Dr. Shen, on his part, reaffirmed that China will continue its support to the EIPA and the joining of Ethiopia the BRICS block will help strengthen not only bilateral but also multilateral cooperation on IPR and related matters.
The bilateral meeting was held on the sides of the 12th China Intellectual Property Annual Conference and International Seminar on Geographical Indications organized jointly CNIPA and WIPO) and held in Jinan, Shandong province. In the seminar entitled “Intellectual Property as a Tool to Promote Economy and Rural Development”, variety of topics related to GIs were presented and discussed and China’s experience in the protection and promotion of GIs based IPRs were shared, including with field visits and study. Participants from invited countries, including Ethiopia, and officials from the ARIPO & QAPI shared their experiences. Participants highly appreciated both the excellent organization and the issues discussed impact on rural development.
EIPA and CNIPA signed MOU in Nov. 2011 with the aim of establishing cooperation in the creation, utilization and protection of IPRs. A plan of action was signed in Dec. 2016 which outlined the partnership of both institutions in 2017-2018. It is believed that the current bilateral meeting will help revitalize and upscale their cooperation.
