The 13th BRICS Heads of Intellectual Property Offices Meeting (HIPO) was held virtually on August 25. Shri Rajendra Ratnoo, Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (India) chaired the meeting. Dr. Shen Changyu, Commissioner of CNIPA (China), Mr. Cláudio Vilar Furtado, President of INPI (Brazil), Mr. Grigory Ivliev, Director General of ROSPATENT (Russia), and Adv Rory Voller, Commissioner of CIPC (South Africa), attended the meeting along with their respective delegations.

Heads of the five IP offices listened to the reports on the progress of their projects and the next steps to be taken under the "BRICS Intellectual Property Offices Cooperation Roadmap". With a focus on the application of digital technology and other emerging technologies, attendees shared their successful experience and discussed possible cooperation in the future.

Shen introduced the measures CNIPA has taken to promote digital transformation from the aspects of telecommuting and whole-process electronic system. He said that the global spread of COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of digitalization and emerging technology. In the face of challenges, IP offices of the BRICS should deepen IP cooperation to jointly cope with the pandemic, accelerate digital transformation and improve IP systems, so as to provide strong support for better service, innovation and development, he said. Shen also took Sangzhi County in Hunan Province as an example and shared China's successful experience in targeted poverty alleviation through the application of IPRs.

IPR cooperation among BRICS countries, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, was launched in 2012. Accomplishments since the launch include increasing awareness of IPR, joint personnel training and exchanges, and strengthening trademark and industrial design protections. In 2022, CNIPA will take over the secretariat to organize relevant meetings on IP cooperation among BRICS.