The U.S. Department of Commerce and China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) co-hosted the 20th U.S.-China Legal Exchange at Stanford Law School in Stanford, California and at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria, Virginia. This year, the Legal Exchange focused on Chinese intellectual property rights law with presentations on patent, copyright, and trademark laws, judicial reform and IP courts, e-commerce, and cross-border enforcement of IPR.  

General Counsel Kelly R. Welsh led the U.S. delegation and China’s Assistant Minister of Commerce Tong Daochi led from the Chinese side.

“The strength of these dialogues lies in the high quality and frankness of our discussions – where we talk about the ways both our countries are seeking to improve our economies through law,” said General Counsel Welsh in his opening remarks at Stanford Law School. “We share expertise, our experts learn from each other, and each year we build stronger relationships.”

Over 200 legal professionals, academics, students, and others interested in the development of IPR law participated in the exchanges at Stanford Law School and the USPTO.  

About the Legal Exchange

The Legal Exchange is a unique forum that allows the U.S. business, legal, and academic communities across the country to hear directly from Chinese officials about new and important developments in China’s commercial legal and regulatory landscape.

Under the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) Commercial Law Working Group, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of General Counsel leads engagement with China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) to promote understanding and cooperation on issues related to commercial rule of law.

Since the mid-1980’s, the Commerce General Counsel and China’s Vice Minister of Commerce have co-led the U.S.-China Legal Exchange, a public exchange on recent developments in commercial law. This meeting has taken place almost every year since then and continues to be an important means to build bilateral understanding of legal topics relevant to business in each country.