（Source: AIPPI official website）

From October 7 to 10, 2026, the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI) World Congress was held at the Congress Center Hamburg in Germany. A delegation from Watson & Band—comprising Senior Founding Partner Mr. George Fu, General Manager of Watson & Band Intellectual Property Agent Ltd. Dr. Xiao Hua, and Deputy General Manager Mr. Xu Yingcong—attended the congress and engaged in extensive exchanges with IP lawyers, patent attorneys, and corporate IP counsel from dozens of jurisdictions worldwide.

Focusing on the central theme of "Harmonization," this year's congress addressed cutting-edge topics including divisional patent applications and double patenting, parody defenses in trademark infringement, territoriality principles and geo-blocking in digital cross-border infringement, and dynamic blocking injunctions. Drawing on their extensive experience in patents, trademarks, copyrights, and cross-border IP dispute resolution, the Watson & Band delegation shared updates on China's latest IP developments across patent prosecution, licensing, enforcement trends, and litigation practice.

Throughout the congress, the team held in-depth dialogues with long-standing international partners on procedural coordination and collaborative mechanisms in cross-border IP mandates. They also exchanged practical insights on AI-related IP protection and global IP portfolio strategies for outbound Chinese enterprises, earning strong recognition and interest in further collaboration. 

Following the congress, the delegation visited local enterprises and IP institutions across Germany and other European countries to further advance Sino-European IP cooperation.

About Watson & Band

Watson & Band Law Offices and Watson & Band Intellectual Property Agency Ltd. are among China's earliest licensed foreign-related patent agencies and leading IP service providers. Our practice spans prosecution, counseling, enforcement, litigation, and commercial transactions across trademarks, patents, copyrights, and emerging IP rights. Our multidisciplinary team of hundreds of IP lawyers, patent attorneys, engineers, and technical advisors covers chemistry, biomedicine, mechanics, electronics, telecommunications, semiconductors, AI, and integrated circuits—ensuring our practitioners understand both the law and complex technologies.

As an active participant in international IP organizations such as AIPPI and INTA, and an accredited "Partner Institution for Overseas IP Dispute Response," Watson & Band leverages over three decades of cross-border experience and a global network to provide end-to-end, two-way IP solutions for Chinese companies expanding abroad and multinational corporations operating in China.