National training program bolsters expertise of foreign-related IPR lawyers

China's foreign-related intellectual property rights (IPR) protection efforts have taken a significant step forward with the conclusion of a national training program for lawyers specializing in foreign-related IPR in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province. Organized jointly by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), the program aimed to enhance the expertise of legal professionals in this specialized field.

Launched in June after meticulous preparation, the training program featured a series of thematic sessions covering a broad array of IPR-related topics, including international dispute resolution, handling of overseas disputes, cross-border risk prevention and control, and overseas patent application strategies. Over 300 foreign-related IPR lawyers from more than 20 provinces and cities participated in the program.

Through systematic training, the program aimed to cultivate a team of foreign-related IPR lawyers with firm political stances, sound legal proficiency, knowledge of international rules, and expertise in foreign-related legal practice, so as to provide robust legal support for Chinese enterprises to safeguard their rights overseas and to contribute to the upgrading of regional economies.

Growing demand for talent and emphasis on top-level design

Aimd growing demand for specialized talent, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council have attached great importance to strengthening foreign-related IPR protection. Major policy documents, including the Guidelines on Strengthening Intellectual Property Protection issued in 2019 and the Outlines for Building an Intellectual Property Power (2021-2035) issued in 2021, highlight the importance of such efforts.

In response, the MOJ and the CNIPA have been thoroughly implementing these directives to jointly promote the development of foreign-related IPR lawyers.

Enhancing the role of foreign-related IPR lawyers through targeted training

Foreign-related IPR lawyers have played an increasingly important role as a result of multi-faceted promotional efforts. For example, the CNIPA has established 99 sub-centers and six industrial branch centers targeting key areas nationwide, as well as centers in 11 countries, aiming to guide Chinese enterprises going global to tackle IPR disputes.

These institutions provide guidance and consulting services, which in 2024 alone included assistance to enterprises on 3,094 cases across 130 countries and regions. Their services encompassed all types of IPR disputes, including patents, trademarks, and trade secret litigation, spanning multiple sectors such as electronics, biomedicine, and cross-border e-commerce. These efforts significantly helped enterprises reduce the costs of rights protection by 450 million yuan ($63.17 million) and recover substantial economic losses of 14.15 billion yuan.

The program's curriculum was rich in content and diverse in form. It combined systematic theoretical instruction with hands-on exercises through interactive sessions such as mock courts, case studies, seminars and forums. This innovative approach, simulating real-world scenarios such as international IPR dispute mediation and patent litigation, enabled participants to immerse themselves in real-world experience of foreign-related IPR cases, and enhance their practical capabilities in resolving foreign-related IPR disputes.

The program's faculty comprised experts specialized in teaching, research and frontline practice in the foreign-related IPR field from the World Intellectual Property Organization, relevant institutions in the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, relevant ministries and commissions, universities, as well as renowned enterprises and law firms.

Effective measures to optimize the development ecosystem

Moving forward, the MOJ and the CNIPA will continue to coordinate the promotion of talent introduction, gathering, cultivation, and utilization. They plan to broaden training platforms, reinforce industry-academia-research collaboration, and further intensify their efforts to nurture foreign-related IPR legal professionals. Efforts will be made to enhance resource allocation, build practice platforms for foreign-related IPR lawyers, and strengthen talent incentive guarantees, so as to foster a favorable development ecosystem for foreign-related IPR lawyers.