On October 26, 2018, the Tongji-Bayer Intellectual Property Forum jointly organized by Tongji University and Bayer Group was held at the Patent Examination Cooperation Sichuan Center of the Patent Office of the National Intellectual Property Administration in Chengdu. This year's forum entered the western region of China for the first time. The forum focused on the “Protection and Utilization of Intellectual Property Rights” and attracted more than 200 experts and scholars, intellectual property consultants, lawyers and patent examiners from the domestic and international intellectual property fields.

Mr. Zhou Jialun, former Party Secretary of the Tongji University, congratulated the Tongji-Bayer IP Forum. He said that since the establishment of the Bayer IP foundation Chair of Tongji University in 2006, the two sides have cooperated closely and held a Tongji-Bayer Intellectual Property Forum every year. The Tongji-Bayer IP Forum is a good international communication platform for discussing the creation, utilization, management and protection of intellectual property rights between academia, law enforcement, businesses and intermediaries. After years of development and cultivation, it has gradually become one of the most influential intellectual property forum brands and played a positive role in promoting the continuous improvement of China's intellectual property system.

Ms. Dr. Xi Zhang, Head of Legal Affairs of Bayer Greater China, said in her speech: As an innovative company with a history of 155 years, Bayer has always continued innovations improving people's quality of life in the three major businesses of prescription drugs, health care and crop science and also attached great importance to the protection of intellectual property to better promote stable and sustainable development of the company.

Mr. Shengjun Li，Director of the Patent Examination and Cooperation Sichuan Center, welcomed the guests. He believes that the Tongji-Bayer Forum held at the center will further strengthen the cooperation between the center and the academia and business circles, promote innovation and development, and jointly address the opportunities and challenges for intellectual property in the new era.

At the morning sessions, Professor Dr. Peter George Picht of the University of Zurich and Shen Bin, Head of the Case Management Department of the Shanghai International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (Shanghai International Arbitration Center) introduced the current practice of arbitration in intellectual property cases in Europe and China and predicted possible future trends. Dr. Joerg Thomaier, Bayer Global Chief Consultant for Intellectual Property, introduced the case of Bayer's acquisition of Monsanto. Ms. Min Xu, Alibaba's Global Chief Consultant for Intellectual Property, shared her thinkings about IP Protection and the new business models in Internet industry.

At afternoon sessions, the topics discussed focused on intellectual property protection of chemical and biological drugs, IPR enforcement and professional knowledge related to life sciences. Mr. Xiaohong Wang, Associate Research Fellow of the Patent Examination and Cooperation Sichuan Center, introduced intellectual property services provided by the center. Mr. Hongqiang Liu, Director of Intellectual Property of Bayer Greater China, commented on the Chinese “Hatch-Waxman” policies in China. Ms. Dr. Cong Ding, Director of Legal Department of Yaoming Biotechnology Co., Ltd., respectively, introduced the protection of biological drugs in the USA. Professor Dr. Liu Xiaohai from Tongji University analyzed privat IPR-protection model against large scale of IPR infringement. Mr. Wu Jialu from Bayer and Mr. Chen Changjie from Beijing Lusheng Law Firm introduced the case of trademark malicious registration related to Bayer’s logos “coppertone水宝宝”. At the end Mr. Ye Dawei, General Manager of Bayer Crop Science Seeds Greater China, introduced transgenic technology and its vital function of Improving the quality of agricultural products and increasing the output of agricultural products in modern agriculture.

The Sino-German Campus Foundation of the German Ministry of Science and Education and the Sichuan Alumni Association of Tongji University strongly supported and sponsored the forum.