April 26 marks the first anniversary of the validation of the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances (Beijing Treaty) in celebration of the World Intellectual Property Day. The event of "Implement the Copyright Law, Protect Cultural Inheritance and Celebrate the First Anniversary of the validation of the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances" is co-hosted in Beijing by the Communication Department of Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (Beijing Municipal Bureau of Copyright), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Office in China, and the Beijing Federation of Literary and Art Circles.
In her speech, Liu Hua, director of the WIPO Office in China, pointed out that the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances is the first international intellectual property treaty signed in China and named after a Chinese city since the founding of the United Nations. The conclusion of this treaty is of milestone significance for improving the international performers' rights protection system, promoting the healthy and prosperous development of cultural industries in countries around the world, and facilitating the development of traditional folk performing arts in developing countries with long cultural history including China.
She mentioned that the Chinese government, as well as the People's Government of Beijing Municipality, where the treaty was concluded, and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Copyright, have all taken countless efforts to promote the early validation of the Beijing Treaty. In the whole process of promoting the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances from its conclusion to its validation, the Chinese government and the National Copyright Administration Office have fully shown their full enthusiasm and responsible attitude of a country's government in promoting copyright protection.
Liu Hua said that the WIPO is optimistic about China's market and intellectual property development prospects. Considering China's rising rankings in the Global Innovation Index report in recent years and the continuous growth of the proportion of copyright industry in China's GDP, China has evolved from a runner-after to a runner-alongside to a front runner in the field of intellectual property.
Regarding the development of China's cultural and creative industries, especially the small and medium-sized cultural and creative industries, Liu Hua said that the WIPO is a gold mine of intellectual wealth. There are five sets of golden keys to this gold mine, including policy platform, registration system, database, cooperation platform system and the WIPO Academy platform. Making good use of these keys will greatly strengthen the commercialization and marketization of the operation of enterprises, especially those small and medium-sized cultural and creative ones.
As an extension of WIPO, the WIPO Office in China will continue to reinforce the close cooperation with all walks of life and stakeholders in China to provide more timely, closer and better services. Additionally, the WIPO Office in China will seek benefits for small and medium-sized enterprises and contribute to the development of intellectual property in China.
