April 21, the 2026 Shenzhen Intellectual Property Publicity Week Themed Event and the Shenzhen IP Joint Conference were convened. This year, Shenzhen will intensify enforcement against all forms of intellectual property infringement and counterfeiting in connection with APEC meetings, major sporting events, and key overseas markets, aiming to establish “Shenzhen IP Protection” as a trusted choice of certainty for global innovators.

At the conference, Wang Liuyi, Olympic synchronized swimming champion and Associate Professor at the School of Physical Education of Shenzhen University, delivered a thematic presentation on “Intellectual Property and Sports” in line with this year’s World Intellectual Property Day theme. Representatives from member entities of the Shenzhen Intellectual Property Joint Conference, including Shenzhen Customs and Futian District, also shared their remarks and experiences.

The conference also released a series of major achievements, including the 2025 Shenzhen Intellectual Property White Paper and the Top Ten IP Events of the Year. In addition, a number of thematic activities were held, including the signing of a strategic cooperation framework agreement on the coordinated development of IP services and manufacturing, the centralized launch of open-licensed patents, and the establishment of the Intellectual Property and Standards Innovation Consortium for humanoid robotics and embodied intelligence.

It was announced at the meeting that, in order to build a new high ground for IP protection, Shenzhen will launch pilot programs to optimize the business environment in the IP field and promote the revision of the Regulations of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone on Intellectual Property Protection. The city will strengthen national-level IP protection and rapid rights protection centers and establish additional overseas IP protection liaison offices.

In addition, Shenzhen will support the establishment of industry-based IP innovation consortia, encourage leading enterprises in industrial chains to take the lead in building and operating patent pools, and guide innovation entities to strengthen overseas IP portfolio deployment through mechanisms such as PCT international patent applications. Efforts will also be made to steadily advance data IP pilot programs and promote the integration of patents and standards. Shenzhen aims to evolve from a “major patent city” into a “rule-making powerhouse,” enabling Shenzhen standards to become a global “entry ticket” for industrial competition.

In terms of IP commercialization and utilization, Shenzhen will activate dormant patents held by universities and research institutions and actively promote patent commercialization models such as “use first, pay later” and open licensing. The city will further advance the development of the Intellectual Property Financial Ecosystem Comprehensive Pilot Zone, upgrade the “Pengzhi Loan” series of IP pledge financing products, and innovate IP securitization models—transforming “dormant patents” into active assets and “lab papers” into real market value.

Shenzhen will also continue to deepen cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and other international institutions and strengthen cross-border collaboration in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area. It will further advance the cross-border transaction and financing platform under the National Intellectual Property Operation (Shenzhen Hetao) International Transformation Pilot Program, and actively seek to host capacity-building training programs for foreign-related IP attorneys and the WIPO Summer School in Shenzhen, bringing “Shenzhen experience” to the global stage.