Recently, China IP, a professional magazine covering the intellectual property field, reported on the establishment of the US-China Intellectual Property Exchange & Development Foundation (UCIPF). News of the foundation’s launch drew widespread attention in the industry.
In less than a month, several noted intellectual property experts joined the foundation to become core members of its board of directors, among them Richard H. Glanton, Randall R. Rader, and Stephen Markscheid. All of which has led many in the field to ask who initiated the foundation and what is its purpose. With these questions in mind, China IP interviewed Demi Wang, founder of the US-China Intellectual Property Exchange & Development Foundation.
Original Intent: Collaboration is an Essential Principle
Despite having just stepped off a flight of over ten hours to Beijing, Demi Wang shows no sign of fatigue. As the founder, chief executive officer, and trustee of US-China Intellectual Property Exchange & Development Foundation (UCIPF), she can barely contain her excitement and enthusiasm at the mention of the foundation.
“This year will be my 19th year in the intellectual property industry. I’ve been living in the U.S. for 15 years, so I’m well aware of the development and collaboration in intellectual property between the U.S. and China. The asynchronous information on intellectual property among those involved in the industry in the U.S. and China has not only led to discrepancies, but also misunderstanding in each other’s execution of intellectual property regulations.”
Wang confesses that due to current circumstances, the dialogue in intellectual property between the U.S. and China has not been as robust as before. However, demand for such an exchange is strong, leading Wang to see the urgency for her foundation’s creation.
Over the last eight years, Wang has successfully organized 15 conferences in the U.S. and China. At these events, she saw the desire for communication between those involved in the intellectual-property industry in both countries and was deeply inspired by it.
“I wanted to build a non-profit professional platform through which those involved in the intellectual property industry in the U.S. and China may hold in-depth discussions. Everyone can express their opinions. Mutual understanding will be increased as they bounce their ideas off each other, so the exchange may lead to collaboration. This is the original intention of the foundation of US-China Intellectual Property Exchange & Development Foundation,”
Ideas need to be put into action. After careful consideration, Wang registered the foundation in New Jersey, and UCIPF was formally established on 11 October 2019. When talking about how the foundation sets itself apart from other similar organizations, she stresses the following terms: non-governmental and non-profit.
Along with Wang as its chief executive officer, the foundation has Richard H. Glanton, Randall R. Rader, and Stephen Markscheid as core members of its board of directors. These three professionals have all made significant contributions in their respective fields. Their shared ideas led them to join and support the foundation.
Richard H. Glanton graduated from the University of West Georgia and the University of Virginia School of Law and is founder, president, and chief executive officer of ElectedFace (founded in 2010, ElectedFace is a social-media platform which connects American citizens to local and federal government officials, promoting equal communication and freedom of discussion, goals which coincide with the objectives of UCIPF).
Randall R. Rader is a world-renowned intellectual property law expert. A former Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Radar received a Juris Doctor from George Washington University Law School. He served in staff positions on the United States House of Representatives from 1975 to 1980. He was appointed judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims in 1988; judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in 1990; and Chief Judge in June 2010. Radar was honored with the Jefferson Medal by the New Jersey Intellectual Property Law Association in 2003 and received the Sedona Conference Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.
Stephen Markscheid, president of Nanograf, is committed to the research and development of graphene Li-ion batteries and advanced materials. He is also an independent non-executive director of six listed companies. Between 1998 and 2006, Markscheid worked in finance and was primarily responsible for business development in China and other parts of Asia. He has also worked at the US-China Business Council, a non-governmental, non-profit organization with similar goals as UCIPF.
“I’m very grateful to Richard, Randall, and Stephen for their faith in me and their support to the foundation. With their help, I believe the foundation will become better,” says Wang. Feeling grateful, Wang is full of hope for the foundation.
Direction: international communication and collaboration
For UCIPF, 2020 will be a critical year. The foundation has planned a series of exchange events which will bring together experts and scholars from the U.S. and China, as well as corporate legal personnel from law firms and agencies with experience in foreign operations.
As Wang explains, “the foundation has attracted the senior management of leading pharmaceutical companies, high-tech companies, and well-known law firms in the U.S., all of whom are very interested in the foundation’s events next year and greatly look forward to attending them.”
She points out: “Of course, large businesses have their own professional legal teams that are able to take care of the intellectual property portfolios and safeguard their legal rights and interests. However, the development of intellectual property for the majority of small and medium-sized enterprises lags behind. During my nearly 20 years working in the intellectual property field, I’ve witnessed too many small and medium-sized enterprises suffer setbacks in intellectual property—obstacles to their very development.”
“As a non-profit,” Wang continues, “the foundation holds invaluable resources of intellectual-property institutes, famous financial-investment institutions, and tertiary institutions in both the U.S. and China. Not only may small and medium-sized enterprises receive advice on strategic planning, they’ll be matched with those who may satisfy their needs and transform their achievements in intellectual property. And they may be assisted in finding a suitable law-service provider who can help them to apply for intellectual property or deal with litigation.”
On 3 December, the foundation will hold a gala at the Harvard Club in New York City. Wang happily reports, “to date, over 100 prominent individuals from the intellectual property field in the U.S. and China have been invited to attend the gala, including representatives from businesses, law firms, investment companies, the media, the American Intellectual Property Law Association, International Trademark Association, and Intellectual Property Owners Association. Unitalen Attorneys at Law has provided tremendous support for the gala and we’re also very grateful for the attention from those in the intellectual property field in China.”
On the foundation’s future, Wang remarks: “The foundation is a response to a prevailing global trend. Practically speaking, I’ve done detailed development planning for the foundation and hope that such a non-profit organization will serve as a bridge and platform to promote understanding and strengthen collaboration between the U.S. and China. Only with collaboration can we truly move forward.”