On Sept.15, 2006, the Memorandum of Understanding between SMI and CNTAC on the protection of intellectual property was signed markedly.

Three years later, during the 15th China International Trade Fair for Apparel Fabrics and Accessories, the Seminar on the Intellectual Property Rights in Chinese and Italian Textile & Fashion Industry, organized by China National Textile and Apparel Council and Sistema Moda Italia, was successfully held on October 21 in Shanghai. Governmental industrial representatives, such as Du Yuzhou, President of China National Textile and Apparel Council, Wu Tongdiao, Deputy Director General of Trade Development Bureau of Ministry of Commerce, and He Yuefeng, Vice Director of Protection and Coordination Department, State Intellectual Property Office of the PRC, were invited to attend this seminar and exchange their views on IPR protection and cooperation between China and Italy.

Strengthening IPR protection and cooperation is a global topic, so this seminar could be beneficial in enhancing communication and cooperation, and significantly promote trade between the Chinese and Italian textile and fashion industry.

During this seminar, Mr.Du Yuzhou presented a theme speech on Promote Intellectual Property Rights Protection and Speed Up Industrial Upgrading, which gave a detailed introduction on the relationship between IPR and the textile industrial development in China, and provided suggestions for IPR cooperation between Chinese and Italian enterprises.

According to Mr. Du, for a better development, the Chinese textile industry should pay more attention to strengthening industrial self-discipline, which consists of three aspects: social compliance management system, intellectual  property rights protection, and market order. Recently, the China National Textile  and Apparel Council has already carried out and promoted the CSC9000T (China  Social Compliance 9000 for Textile & Apparel Industry) among domestic textile  and apparel enterprises, which aims at leading the enterprises to obey laws and  regulation, implement labor contract, save energy, environment protection, and  so on, to assure benefits for the consumer and also to promote a harmonious  social and scientific development.

Furthermore, as Mr.Du stressed, CCPIT TEX would set up the IPR  Office especially, integrated with the local IPR Law Enforcement Authority,  to deal with the IPR disputes during its professional exhibition each time.  Meanwhile, the CCPIT TEX would sign the IPR Protection Commitment with  the exhibitors, in order to improve the IPR protection during the exhibition.

According to Wu Tongdiao, the Chinese government always pays great attention to the IPR protection, raising it as a national development strategy. He also stressed that to strengthen the communication of IPR between China and Italy would contribute meaningfully to the development of commercial trade between the two countries and also to challenge the terrible global financial crisis together for China and Italy.

Mr. Gianfranco Di Natale, Director General of SMI, shared his views on the IPR protection between the Chinese and Italian textile and fashion industry. He believed that those two countries should join together to enhance the communication and cooperation on IPR protection, especially to exchange information and offer mutual assistance on violations of IPR, to take measures against exhibitors exhibiting fake products, and  so on, in order to protect the benefit of  industries and enterprises as well as  a better relationship development for  both countries in the future.

Nearly 100 domestic fashion  enterprises representatives  attended this seminar. Through  this seminar, the enterprises from  Italy could know more about the  IPR management and protection  of textile and fashion industry in  China, and also find the method  to protect the Italian IPR in China;  as for domestic enterprises, vice  versa, which would bring more  legal protection on IPR for both  countries and further commercial  cooperation in the future  beneficially.