The 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou is about to grandly open at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium by the banks of the Qiantang River, enveloping the entire city in the atmosphere of the Asian Games. As the host city, Hangzhou not only demonstrates confidence and determination in hosting the Asian Games but has also made thorough preparations in intellectual property protection to ensure comprehensive support in this “Chinese characteristic, Asian charm, and spectacular” sports event.
Chen Weiqiang, the Executive Secretary-General of the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee, stated, “We are fully prepared to present to the world a ‘Chinese characteristic, Asian charm, and spectacular’ sports event.” This preparation extends beyond the arena’s infrastructure and includes comprehensive protection in the field of intellectual property.
A relevant official from the Hangzhou Municipal Administration for Market Regulation (Intellectual Property Office) revealed, “As the Asian Games approaches, based on the experience of safeguarding intellectual property during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, we have launched a series of actions since August this year, continuously strengthening comprehensive intellectual property protection, enhancing publicity on intellectual property protection for the Asian Games, conducting ongoing joint inspections on intellectual property during the Asian Games, and formulating intellectual property protection systems for the Asian Games competition to ensure comprehensive preparation for the safeguarding of the Asian Games.”
Pre-competition: Comprehensive Joint Inspections
To ensure comprehensive protection of intellectual property during the Asian Games, Hangzhou has conducted comprehensive joint inspections on intellectual property protection. This action involves various areas including the vicinity of the competition venues, hotels during the competition period, night tour terminals, night markets, specialty markets, etc., focusing on key commodities such as silk clothing, licensed merchandise, etc.
As of now, the Hangzhou Municipal Administration for Market Regulation (Intellectual Property Office) has inspected 26 official reception hotels during the competition period, 16 specialty markets, nearly 900 shops, and 11 licensed merchandise production and sponsorship enterprises. During these inspections, they confiscated over 4,000 counterfeit Asian Games mascots, keychains, etc., with an involved amount exceeding 250,000 yuan. This fully demonstrates Hangzhou’s strict attitude and effective law enforcement in intellectual property protection.
The Gongshu District also demonstrates a proactive attitude towards intellectual property protection. The Gongshu District Market Supervision Administration mobilized various forces to make intellectual property protection work more comprehensive and three-dimensional through special training and talks.
The district conducted special training talks on intellectual property protection for large chain enterprises to “safeguard the Asian Games,” requiring enterprises to conduct comprehensive self-inspection of all stores involving Asian Games elements in their promotions and standardize their business operations. In the Canal Business Community, they also organized “Red Shield Inn+” training sessions to urge enterprises to operate in compliance with the law and disseminate knowledge of intellectual property protection related to the Asian Games to businesses along with relevant laws and regulations.
During the process of safeguarding the spectacular Asian Games, Hangzhou has demonstrated its high regard for intellectual property and taken proactive measures through comprehensive intellectual property protection measures. This not only helps combat infringement, protects the commercial interests of the Asian Games but also enhances the city’s image, attracting more international events and commercial investments.
Competition period: All-weather Real-time Guarding
As the Hangzhou Asian Games enters the competition phase, the demand for protecting the intellectual property of the event becomes more urgent. At this critical moment, the Hangzhou Municipal Administration for Market Regulation (Intellectual Property Office) has formulated a rigorous intellectual property protection system for the competition period through overall planning, from personnel deployment and program design to execution, aiming to ensure the comprehensive protection of intellectual property during the competition.
A special competition safeguard team was established, with relevant officials from the bureau assigned to inspect and check tasks. Each competition venue also set up on-site personnel for intellectual property protection, specifically responsible for handling potential intellectual property complaint reports, responding rapidly to potential intellectual property disputes through a real-time disposal mechanism to ensure the smooth progress of the event.
In various districts and counties, intellectual property departments organized professional personnel to handle follow-up work on on-site complaints during the competition period while also preparing for potential off-site intellectual property emergencies during the event, forming a well-organized structure to fully support intellectual property protection work during the event.
To ensure effective implementation, the Hangzhou municipal executive intellectual property system has fully implemented a 24-hour on-duty system to ensure that any intellectual property-related public opinion can be promptly handled. This all-weather guarding mechanism further guarantees the efficient operation of intellectual property protection work.
This comprehensive intellectual property protection measure not only provides reliable guarantees for the successful hosting of the Asian Games but also sets an example for intellectual property protection in future international sports events. In this sports event, guardians of intellectual property will always fulfill their responsibilities, ensuring that the glory of the Asian Games flourishes under the protection of intellectual property.