Intellectual property (IP) harmonization and protection are important, particularly in rapidly evolving sectors like AI and e-commerce, according to Nazli Korkut, Secretary General of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI).
The 2024 AIPPI World Congress opened in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province on Saturday, with discussions centering around four key draft resolutions on patents, trademarks, copyrights, and rights enforcement.
This event marks the first time the event has been held in China in its 127-year history. In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), the group's secretary-general, Nazli Korkut, highlighted how China stands to benefit from IP protections.
"It's good to see from different perspectives, from different jurisdictions, what this IP harmonization can be, how far it can go. So for the IP community in China, the IP market in China, we all know that China is growing every year with all the industry and communication and all AI tools. It's very important that there is a big pool of talent and innovation in China. So China, just like all the other countries, has to benefit from the IP protection systems, which makes it more sensitive to IP protection in the country and across the boards," Korkut said.
Korkut also stressed the need for legal frameworks to keep pace with advancements in technologies such as e-commerce and AI, ensuring effective IP protection and fostering innovation in these areas.
"E-commerce, or AI or other technologies, from a general perspective, they advance in front of law. Law has to catch up while introducing a legal framework, a solid legal framework regarding the implementations within these areas. So this is very important for AIPPI, because AIPPI also prepares position papers in order to touch upon base some important points. This will also shape other future questions of AIPPI regarding which already has about e-commerce and it will also tackle, especially the topics regarding AI," she said.
AIPPI Secretary General stresses IP harmonization, protection
Hungary and Slovakia announced a suspension of diesel exports to Ukraine on Wednesday.
Hungary has suspended diesel fuel deliveries to Ukraine with immediate effect and will not resume shipments until crude oil transit via the Druzhba pipeline is restored, said Peter Szijjarto, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The suspension will remain in place until Ukraine restarts crude oil deliveries to Hungary through the pipeline, Szijjarto told a press conference following a government meeting.
According to the minister, crude oil transit was halted on Jan 27.
Hungary cannot be expected to guarantee another country's energy security while its own supply is put at risk, said Szijjarto.
He noted that energy cooperation must be based on respect, not pressure.
On the same day, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said that the Bratislava-based Slovnaft refinery is halting its diesel exports to Ukraine, and all products will now be reserved for the domestic market.
Fico also warned that Slovakia would cut off power supplies to Ukraine if Kiev continues to sabotage the pipeline.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had earlier said that the Druzhba pipeline was no longer carrying Russian oil to Europe because of a Russian attack. This meant a halt to oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia, which haven't been resumed yet.
However, Hungary accused Ukraine of cutting off power to that part of the pipeline. Fico likewise accused Ukraine of deliberately delaying the pipeline's restart in an attempt to pressure Hungary into dropping its objections to Ukraine's EU accession.
The two countries have asked Croatia to permit Russian oil brought in by sea to transit across Croatian territory.
The Druzhba pipeline, which carries Russian oil through Ukraine to Central Europe, including the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, has faced repeated disruptions since last year because of damage to energy infrastructure amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
On Wednesday, the Slovak government declared a state of emergency in relation to oil supplies, the News Agency of the Slovak Republic (TASR) reported.
The country will release up to 250,000 tons of oil from national reserves for the Slovnaft refinery, according to a government decision in response to the interruption of oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline.
Hungary, Slovakia suspend diesel exports to Ukraine amid pipeline dispute
