On 5 Feb. 2022, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) announced that China has officially joined WIPO’s Hague System and the Marrakesh Treaty.
By submitting its instrument of accession to the 1999 Geneva Act of the Hague System, China became the 68th contracting party to the 1999 Act and 77th member of the Hague Union. The 1999 Act will take effect in China on 5 May 2022.
The Hague System is a fast track to international design protection in multiple jurisdictions. It allows an applicant to register an industrial design in multiple countries through one application to WIPO, without filing separate applications for registration at different national or regional IP offices, avoiding complex formalities that come with differences in language and currency.
Marrakesh Treaty, known as the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled, was adopted by WIPO in 2013 and entered into force in 2016. Being part of the Marakesh Treaty means that more than 17 million blind and visually impaired people in China will have greater access to copyrighted works. Moreover, it will promote the cross-border movement of Chinese-language content.
Cover Photo by Sifan Liu on Unsplash
Contributors: CJO Staff Contributors Team
