The "2017 Worldwide Symposium on Geographical Indications" (the Symposium), which is jointly organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC), hosted by the People's Government of Yangzhou City and Jiangsu Administration for Industry and Commerce, is convened in Yangzhou, from Thursday, June 29 to Saturday, July 1, 2017.

The Symposium features panel topics including:

The Socio-Economics of Geographical Indications

Managing and Protecting Geographical Indications

Branding Strategies for Origin-Based Products

Seeking Protection Abroad: The Madrid and Lisbon Systems

Geographical Indications in China

Geographical Indications – What Is New in the Asia – Pacific Region?

Geographical Indications: Challenges and Opportunities

Recent Developments at the International Level

Where to Go From Here

Zhang Mao, SAIC Commissioner delivers opening address at the Symposium. Yi Anhui and Lin Junqiang, Deputy Director General of the China Trademark Office (CTMO), Zhao Gang, Director General, Trademark Appeal Board, Chen Zhuo, Deputy Director General and Liu Yan, Director General of International Cooperation Department, SAIC serve as moderators of a few panels. Cui Shoudong, CTMO Deputy Director General speaks at the "Geographical Indications in China" panel.

Other moderators and speakers of the Symposium include members from governmental agencies, international organisations, NGOs and industry societies such as the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), WTO, WIPO, Ministry of Agriculture, Agri-food and Forestry, France, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), IP Australia, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Japan, Ministry of Agriculture, Italy, Consortium for Common Food Names (CCFN), USA, United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), European Commission, International Trademark Association (INTA), China Trademark Association (CTA), European Communities Trade Mark Association (ECTA), etc.

WAN HUI DA Senior Partner Huang Hui, speaks on behalf of INTA, at the "Where to Go From Here" panel.

The Symposium attracts in total 300 IP elites from about 60 nations and regions.

The International Symposium on Geographical Indications (GI) is organized every two years by WIPO in cooperation with an interested Member State. It brings together international experts, representing academia, member states' administrations, GI producers and non-governmental organizations. The Symposium is a forum for the exchange of ideas and views on various issues, such as the socio-economic impact of geographical indications, the way in which intellectual property may be used in branding strategies for commodities, and the management of geographical indications (e.g., the organization of producer groups, traceability and control issues relating to the use and protection of geographical indications). The Symposium contributes to the ongoing debate on geographical indications at national and international levels.