The Annual Meeting of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Intellectual Property Law Alliance (IPLAG) and the Seminar on Frontier Issues in Intellectual Property were held at the Zhuhai International Conference Center on December 13, 2025. The event was organized by IPLAG, with the Zhuhai Huafa Group Technology Research Institute as the host, and co-organized by the Faculty of Law at the Macau University of Science and Technology and the Intellectual Property Research Center at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law.
Group Photo of Attendees
Notable attendees included Huang Wenjun, Deputy Director of the Legal Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao Special Administrative Region; Ng In Cheong, Vice-Director of the Legal Affairs Bureau of the Hengqin Guangdong-Macao Deep Cooperation Zone; Kong Son Cheong, Director of the Intellectual Property Department of Government of the Macao SAR Government Economic and Technological Development Bureau; Fang Quan, Dean of the Faculty of Law of the Macau University of Science and Technology; Xu Xiaoben, Vice Dean of the Intellectual Property School of the Zhongnan University of Economics and Law; and Wang Gang, Vice President of the Zhuhai Court of International Arbitration and Hengqin International Arbitration Center. Additionally, Zhu Xuezhong, Distinguished Professor at Shanghai International College of Intellectual Property at Tongji University; Xiong Qi, Vice Dean of the Law School at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Yi Zaicheng, Secretary-General of IPLAG and Assistant Dean at the Faculty of Law of the Macau University of Science and Technology, along with representatives from various member institutions of IPLAG, also attended the event.
Vice-Director Ng In Cheong’s Speech
Vice-Director Ng In Cheong praised the alliance's pivotal role in regional intellectual property resource integration and regulatory alignment during her speech. She emphasized the irreplaceable strategic value of intellectual property in promoting appropriate economic diversification and advancing new industries in Hengqin. She expressed hope that the seminar would facilitate contributions from attendees to support the development of intellectual property within the Greater Bay Area.
Vice Dean Xu Xiaoben's Speech
In his speech, Vice Dean Xu Xiaoben pointed out that holding the conference in the first year of the "14th Five-Year Plan" is timely, aligning with the central government’s strategy to strengthen intellectual property protection and utilization while echoing the Greater Bay Area's positioning as an innovation hub. He stated that the Intellectual Property Research Center at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law would continue to cooperate earnestly with the alliance to contribute wisdom and resources.
Vice President Wang Gang's Speech
Wang Gang highlighted that intellectual property is at the core of innovation, believing that the annual conference will serve as a fuel station for practical cooperation among various institutions and contribute experiences for building intellectual property regulations in the Greater Bay Area.
President Fang Quan's Speech
President Fang Quan welcomed the guests on behalf of the alliance. She reflected on the alliance's growth over the past seven years, with membership now at 40, making it an indispensable platform for legal collaboration in the Greater Bay Area. She emphasized that intellectual property is a strategic resource for national development and a core element of international competitiveness. Facing technological changes, the alliance has the responsibility and capability to consider how to adapt the intellectual property system to the artificial intelligence era. Looking ahead, the alliance will continue to focus on talent development, cutting-edge research, and practical collaboration to contribute to making the Greater Bay Area a strong engine for China's modernization.
Professor Zhu Xuezhong's Keynote Speech
Professor Xiong Qi 's Keynote Speech
During the keynote speeches, Zhu Xuezhong, Distinguished Professor at Shanghai International Intellectual Property Institute, analyzed the legitimacy challenges and potential legal paths regarding "data intellectual property registration," considering data as a new type of property. Xiong Qi, Vice Dean of the Law School at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, focused on "Global Trends and China's Choices for Copyright Regulation of AI-Generated Content," exploring the impact of AIGC technology on traditional copyright systems and various countries' countermeasures to provide insights for the construction of relevant regulations in China.
Guests of the First Session
The first session, titled "Intellectual Property in Future Scenarios: Theoretical Impacts and Institutional Responses," was chaired by Zhang Yongzhong, Dean of the Faculty of Law at South China Normal University. Speakers included Han Shuli, Secretary-General of the Cyber and E-commerce Law Research Association of Guangdong Provincial Law Society, Wang Yinghang, Associate Professor at South China Normal University, Liao Si, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Macau, Chen Ting, Deputy General Manager of Guangdong Zhongce Intellectual Property Research Institute, and Zhang Qiuyue, Head of the Intellectual Property Protection Center (Zhuhai). They expressed their views on cutting-edge topics such as source code protection in free trade agreements, the legality of reverse engineering software in the digital age, the risks posed by technological innovation, the governance restructuring of standard-essential patents (SEPs) in streaming media, and practical innovations from the Intellectual Property Protection Center, followed by concise commentary from Xu Dandan, Deputy Dean of the Humanistic and Political Science College at Wuyi University, and Liu Jianchui, Deputy Dean of the Intellectual Property Academy at Shenzhen University.
Guests of the Second Session
The second session, titled "Intellectual Property in Technological Innovation: Governance Challenges and Regulatory Restructuring," was chaired by Tong Jun, Dean of the Humanistic and Political Science College at Wuyi University. Speakers included Li Yi, General Manager of Hengqin International Intellectual Property Transaction Center, Zhou Peng, Chairman of Guangzhou Zhiren Shanyong Information Technology Co. (IPR Daily), Liang Xinran, Director of the Bay Area Future Research Institute at Peking University, Jin Xiaoxuan, Ph.D. student at the Faculty of Law of the University of Macau, and Ren Wei, a representative for Chinese business at the Zhuhai Intellectual Property Protection Center. They shared perspectives from practical and research angles on local practices for promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in the Greater Bay Area, trends in intellectual property disputes involving Chinese companies in the U.S. in 2025, optimization of legal frameworks for data intellectual property protection, exploration of the legal nature of digital collectibles, and insights from the Australian intellectual property system. This session was moderated by Ding Li, a senior judge at Guangzhou Intellectual Property Court, and Li Bingtai, a faculty member at Guangzhou College of Applied Science and Technology.
Roundtable Discussion
The third session featured a roundtable discussion on "Cross-Boundary Protection of Intellectual Property and Frontier Issues," chaired by Liu Ying, Deputy General Manager of Hengqin International Intellectual Property Transaction Center. Experts representing Xu Xiaoben, Vice Dean of the Intellectual Property School at South-Central University of Nationalities, Wu Ling, Secretary-General of the Guangzhou Development Zone Intellectual Property Association, Wan Peng, a partner at Beijing Jiren (Shenzhen) Law Firm, Fan Sisi, Deputy General Counsel of Jingxin Communications, Ma Ziqiao, a lawyer at Bank of China-Lituo-Fang's (Hengqin) joint law firm, and Wu Kaiwen, Assistant Researcher at the Shenzhen University Innovation Development Law Research Institute gathered to discuss cross-border collaboration, practical challenges, and future directions. The discussion was lively and interactive.
Closing Ceremony Hosted by Secretary-General Yi Zaicheng
At the end of the event, Yi Zaicheng, Secretary-General of IPLAG and Assistant Dean at the Faculty of Law of the University of Macau, provided a closing summary. He noted that the seminar covered a broad range of in-depth topics that resonate with contemporary trends, providing a valuable platform for academic exchange and practical dialogue to promote collaborative development of intellectual property systems in the Greater Bay Area and address new challenges in intellectual property against the backdrop of the global digital economy.
On the afternoon of December 12, a meeting of the alliance's board of directors was held, during which the board's work report and the admission of new member units were approved.
Photo from the Alliance Board Meeting
The Intellectual Property Law Alliance of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (IPLAG) was initiated in 2018 by the Faculty of Law at the University of Macau in collaboration with the Faculty of Law at the University of Hong Kong and the School of Intellectual Property at Jinan University. It currently comprises 40 member institutions, including intellectual property departments from universities in the Greater Bay Area, research institutions, service platforms, and social organizations. The secretariat is permanently located at the Intellectual Property Research Center of South-Central University of Nationalities, a partner base of the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Base of the Ministry of Education, and the Macao Intellectual Property Research Center.
