Intellectual property is not only a key factor driving technological innovation but also an important tool for promoting international cooperation and economic development. Exploring the theme of intellectual property and innovation helps deepen understanding of the opportunities and challenges faced by countries in responding to new technological revolutions and industrial transformations, providing theoretical support and practical guidance for sustainable global economic development.
1 Opening Ceremony
The International Conference on Intellectual Property and Innovation, co-organized by the National Institute for Innovation Management at Zhejiang University, Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, School of Management at Shandong University, McDonnell Academy at Washington University in St. Louis, Institute for Intellectual Property Management at Zhejiang University School of Management, and Peking University School of Management, was held with great success on the Zijingang Campus of Zhejiang University from May 25 to 26, 2024.
The conference officially began at 8:30 AM on May 25th. The opening ceremony was chaired by Professor Huang Can, Associate Dean of the School of Management at Zhejiang University. Professor Wu Xiaobo, Dean of Faculty of Social Sciences at Zhejiang University; Professor Zhao Minyuan, from Washington University in St. Louis; and Professor Wu Changqi, Dean of the School of Management at Shandong University and Professor at Peking University, delivered opening remarks and warmly welcomed all attendees.
2 Keynote Speeches
First Session
The first session focused on cutting-edge issues in innovation and intellectual property, chaired by Professor Huang Can from Zhejiang University. Professor Wu Xiaobo from Zhejiang University and Professor Shaker Zahra from the University of Minnesota gave speeches.
Professor Wu Xiaobo's presentation titled "Beyond Catch-Up: Opportunity Windows" delved into how firms can capture and utilize opportunity windows in global competition. He posed a thought-provoking question: How did China transition from catch-up to leapfrogging? Based on the innovative management practices of leading Chinese companies, he pointed out that exceptional firms must transcend cycles to seize opportunity windows during paradigm shifts to achieve true "overtaking." Wu Xiaobo creatively proposed the "C Theory" based on Chinese firms' innovation management practices, which includes a CAS (Context, Agency, Strategy) theoretical framework.
Professor Shaker Zahra analyzed the impact of intellectual property enforcement on firm performance from a multinational perspective. He reviewed the traditional view that there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between intellectual property protection and firm innovation performance. However, through comparing data on intellectual property protection intensity and innovation performance across countries, Zahra found that the strengthening of intellectual property protection is associated with weaker innovation performance, although the negative effect is diminishing. Zahra further explored the reasons behind this phenomenon and offered insights on how firms can leverage their intellectual property strategies to mitigate these negative effects.
Second Session
The second session was chaired by Professor Zhao Minyuan from Washington University in St. Louis. Professor Michael Leiblein from Ohio State University and Professor Tony Tong from the University of Colorado Boulder gave presentations.
Professor Michael Leiblein addressed the issue of strategic repositioning for incumbent firms under uncertainty, using green technology as an example. He challenged the assumption of deterministic learning in existing theories, arguing that learning is uncertain and varies by technology, offering a new explanation for the uncertainty of technological development trajectories and its impact on the green economy.
Professor Tony Tong analyzed how corporate listings affect employee innovation activities, particularly their contributions to open-source software projects. His research showed that after a company goes public, employee innovation activities decrease in internal projects but increase in external entity projects. Additionally, Tony Tong explored research opportunities in the field of open-source innovation, noting the rich research material and valuable resources provided by high-frequency, large-volume online information for capturing innovation activities at the micro level within firms.
Third Session
The third session focused on the frontiers of innovation and intellectual property management, chaired by Professor Wu Changqi from Shandong University. Ruud Peters, CEO of Peters IP Consultancy and former Chief IP Officer of Philips; Professor Li Jiatao from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; and Professor Catherine Magelssen from London Business School delivered speeches.
Ruud Peters presented on "European Standard Essential Patent Management Rules and Insights," discussing the four fundamental elements of European standard essential patents (SEPs): SEP registration, necessity checks, royalty rate determination processes, and mandatory FRAND rate determination before patent litigation. Peters also discussed progress on new EU SEP regulations and their implications for the global intellectual property industry and standardization efforts.
Professor Li Jiatao explored the impact of changes in the international trade environment on subsequent innovation in Chinese firms. His study showed that affected Chinese firms actively engaged in domestic R&D and independent innovation.
Professor Catherine Magelssen identified the separation between the research and development activities of multinational corporations, economic ownership of intellectual property, and legal ownership. She highlighted three crucial decisions: who conducts the R&D, who owns the economic rights, and who owns the legal rights. Through analysis of 210,000 patents from 102 multinational corporations between 1997 and 2011, she found that the separation of economic and legal ownership is a common phenomenon. She noted that the balance between these decisions may arise from collaboration and incentive issues between investors, economic right holders, and legal right holders due to geographical distance.
3 Panel Discussions
First Panel: China's Intellectual Property Legal System
The first panel discussion, chaired by Professor Mao Hao from Tongji University, included former Director Han Xiucheng of the China National Intellectual Property Administration's Intellectual Property Development Research Center, Professor Zhu Xuezhong from Tongji University, Lawyer Chen Hao from WeiHeng Law Firm, and Lawyer Gu Jia from JunHe Law Firm. Mao Hao raised questions about the development and research direction of data intellectual property, legal issues faced by Chinese enterprises going abroad, and improvements to patent compensation systems. The four guests engaged in detailed and lively discussions.
Second Panel: Intellectual Property and Innovation Management in Multinational Enterprises
The second panel discussion, chaired by Professor Zhao Minyuan from Washington University in St. Louis, included Professor Frans Greidanus from Zhejiang University, Ms. Hu Shanshan, Chief Business Development Officer of Nielsen China, Professor Alexander G. Welzl, Chair and Co-founder of the Austrian Center for Data Analysis and Research in China, and Professor Zhang Weijun from Zhejiang University.
Professor Zhao Minyuan emphasized the need for enterprises to consider both protecting intellectual property and leveraging it to facilitate technology sharing and business expansion in the wake of changing markets and rapid technological advancements. She posed several critical questions regarding how firms should develop and adjust their intellectual property strategies in global markets, especially when facing different intellectual property legal environments in various countries and regions.
Professor Frans Greidanus discussed strategies for multinational companies in intellectual property management and innovation. He stressed that a robust intellectual property strategy can provide competitive advantages, particularly in highly competitive global markets. He highlighted the importance of integrating intellectual property generation and application with overall corporate strategy.
Ms. Hu Shanshan explored the critical role of intellectual property in driving corporate innovation from a business and market analysis perspective. She emphasized the importance of utilizing intellectual property to enhance market adaptability and flexibility and to maximize commercial value.
Professor Alexander G. Welzl discussed the critical role of data protection and intellectual property in global innovation management. He underscored the importance of building a strong intellectual property framework, especially for multinational enterprises, and the role of intellectual property in facilitating technology transfer and commercialization.
Professor Zhang Weijun delved into legal issues and strategies related to intellectual property in international trade. He analyzed the complexity of intellectual property in global markets and the challenges faced in handling multinational intellectual property disputes. He emphasized the importance of thorough intellectual property reviews before entering new markets and the dual role of intellectual property in promoting technological innovation and economic development.
Third Panel: Intellectual Property Management in the Automotive Industry
The third panel discussion, chaired by Professor Song Hefa from the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, included Professor Liu Jieming from Wuhan University of Technology, Mr. Tian Bo, Director of Intellectual Property Management at Geely Holding Group, and Ruud Peters, CEO of Peters IP Consultancy and former Chief IP Officer of Philips.
Professor Song Hefa highlighted the core role of intellectual property in the global automotive industry. He posed questions about the relatively low number of intellectual property applications in certain areas of China's new energy vehicle sector and strategies to address this issue. He also asked about how Chinese enterprises could more effectively use intellectual property to systematically protect and commercialize their innovations in high-value technologies such as electric vehicles and intelligent connected vehicles.
Professor Liu Jieming discussed in detail the current state and challenges of intellectual property (IP) in the automotive industry, particularly in electric vehicles (EVs) and intelligent technologies. He pointed out that while China's automotive industry has accumulated substantial intellectual property in traditional technology areas, it still needs to strengthen IP application and management in emerging technologies such as electric vehicles and autonomous driving technologies. Professor Liu mentioned that companies need to start planning their IP strategies early in the innovation process to protect their technologies from infringement and explore the possibility of entering international markets through IP cooperation and licensing.
Mr. Tian Bo shared Geely's experiences and strategies in intellectual property management, especially in addressing international intellectual property challenges. He discussed how to build a robust intellectual property portfolio to support international expansion and technical protection.
Ruud Peters introduced the complexities of intellectual property in the automotive industry, particularly in the context of new energy and intelligent vehicles. He emphasized the importance of establishing a clear intellectual property portfolio and advised firms to focus on their unique advantages when developing new technologies or products.
4 Paper Presentations | Academic Posters
The conference organized five sessions of academic presentations. Twelve scholars from Tsinghua University, Peking University, Zhejiang University, Renmin University of China, Tongji University, Xiamen University, CEIBS, and McGill University presented their latest research findings on topics such as patent strategies, finding patterns in data, litigation and innovation directions, outsider disadvantage and latecomer advantage, and value capture in innovation. Professors Huang Guangli from the National University of Singapore, Wang Yanbo from the University of Hong Kong, Xie Zhenzhen from Sun Yat-sen University, Zhao Shasha from Surrey University, and Zheng Yanfeng from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology provided detailed comments on the papers presented in each session.
In addition, the conference organized an academic poster exhibition where participants displayed their latest research findings. Seven scholars from Tsinghua University, Zhejiang University, Nanjing University, Peking University, City University of Hong Kong, Wuhan University of Technology, and the University of Texas at Dallas showcased their research progress, covering frontier topics such as the impact of cross-border patent litigation on multinational enterprise innovation performance.
5 Closing Ceremony
The International Conference on Intellectual Property and Innovation concluded with a round of applause. This conference not only provided a high-level platform for exchange but also promoted the deep integration of academic research and practical applications in the field of intellectual property and innovation. Attendees expressed that they gained valuable insights and expanded their international perspectives through this event.
