On August 6-7, 2020 the 11th meeting of the Russia-China Working Group on cooperation in protection of intellectual property rights was held in a videoconference format.

The Russian delegation was represented by a number of the federal executive authorities, including the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, the Federal Customs Service, and the Prosecutor General’s Office. The meeting was also attended by representatives of the Court for Intellectual Property Rights, the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Tatarstan and business community.

The chairpersons noted the comprehensive and fruitful bilateral cooperation of the authorities competent in the IP field and coordinated action on multilateral fora such as WIPO and BRICS.

The sides exchanged information on the latest developments in national legislation in the field of industrial property, copyright and related rights. A number of questions was devoted to law enforcement practices. The sides exchanged information on the activities of customs services and judicial authorities, as well as on countering IP rights infringements in the Internet. The issues of loans secured by IP, raising of public awareness etc., were also discussed. The sides agreed to continue interaction on the aforementioned issues intersessionaly.

Particular attention was paid to the issues of protection and enforcement of geographical indications and appellations of origin in Russia and China. Representatives of Rospatent shared information on the introduction into the Russian legislation of a new intellectual property object – geographical indication, and on the commencement of the procedure for joining the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement on Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications. In this regard, the Russian side expressed an interest in discussing with Chinese colleagues the issues related to the procedures for granting legal protection to these IP objects.

In the course of the discussion, the Russian side addressed the problems encountered by companies in obtaining legal protection in China for signs registered in the Russian Federation as appellations of origin. In particular, the Russian side presented the case with the registration of an appellation of origin (registration number 232) the “Baikal” deep natural drinking water. In order to develop an effective mechanism for resolving such issues, the sides agreed to consider the possibility of concluding an intergovernmental agreement on geographical indications.

Furthermore, in order to assist Russian and Chinese companies in ensuring effective protection and enforcement of intellectual property on the territory of both countries, the sides agreed to develop appropriate guidelines.

The outcomes of the Working group meeting will be reflected in the final document of the 23rd meeting of the Russian-Chinese Sub-Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation, which will be held on August 25, 2020.