The closing ceremony of the 11^th China Trademark Festival (CTF) with the theme of “Strengthen Brand Protection, Promote Innovation Development" was organized in Yinchuan on July 8^th. This festival was joined by close to 748 brand corporations and 4000 IP experts. Three trademark consultants from Sunshine IP International were proud to be invited.

The 11th CTF not only inherited the traditional forum formation, but also focused more on the innovation side. During the festival, 22 sub-forums were organized, included Forum of Directors on Administrative Protection of Trademarks, Forum on Finding the Beauty of Geographical Indication Trademarks, Forum on Trademark & Brand Evaluation, and Forum of City & County Mayors-Regional Brand Development. The 11th CTF added “Awakening ·Opening·Utilizing —Trademark Big Data and Brand Economy Development” Exchange Seminar, Forum on Trademark Judicial Protection, and Forum of Deans in IP Field to discuss trademark big data and brand economy development, liability for trademark infringement and calculation of compensation amount, and the new ideas, new methods and new measures of brand construction under the new situation. 

To continue the international characteristics, the 11^th CTF organized 6 international forums, included Forum on the Practices of International Trademark Law, Madrid Roundtable on International Registration of Trademarks, INTA Forum, MARQUES Forum, International Trademark Lawyers Forum, and CTA&JPAA Meeting.

The first half of 2019, China trademark applications reached 3.4 million, and 3.5 million trademark registrations were completed, with year-on-year growth of 67.8%; meanwhile, the examination period for trademark registration was reduced to less than five and a half months. Up to now, China has more than 22.74 million effective trademark registrations, rank first in the world. China is also a major destination for foreign companies to register; as an important member of Madrid International Registration of Trademarks, Chinese applicants submitted 6900 applications last year, and around 3000 in the first half of 2019, rank behind the European Union and the United States. China has become an important force in promoting the overall growth of Madrid applications with 36,700 foreign companies’ international registered in the first half of 2019. The annual CTF is one of the most important activities in the field of trademark in China and the festival was listed as a major IP publicity activity on “Thirteenth Five-Year Plan for Protection and Application of Intellectual Property Rights" by the State Council. Since 2005, the China International Trademark Brand Festival has been held for ten consecutive years, attracting the active participation of domestic and foreign trademark practitioners, and has received extensive attention from all walks of life.