The 31st lecture in the "Foreign-Related Rule of Law and Global Governance" series was held at KoGuan School of Law, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Mr. Zhao Ting, Director of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Operations Division at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and a 1979 alumnus of the university, delivered a lecture on "Global Governance of Intellectual Property."

The event took place in Meeting Room 202. Mr. Xie Zhitao, Party Secretary of the law school, delivered opening remarks, and Professor Hu Kaizhong moderated the lecture. Associate Dean and Associate Professor Cao Bo, Wang Jie (Associate Professor and Director of the university's Legal Affairs Office), as well as Wang Xiaobing, a 2007 master's alumnus of the law school, served as discussants. Nearly 100 alumni, faculty, and students attended the lecture.

 The lecture was moderated by Professor Hu Kaizhong. Professor Hu extended a warm welcome to Mr. Zhao Ting and his delegation, and briefly introduced the speaker's background and the guests attending the event. He noted that, as the world undergoes profound changes unseen in a century, intellectual property protection will become one of the core elements of national competitiveness. How to build a more open, inclusive, and fair IP ecosystem is a major topic worthy of in-depth discussion.

Xie Zhitao, Party Secretary of the KoGuan School of Law, delivered a welcome speech. In his remarks, he extended a warm welcome to Mr. Zhao Ting and his delegation, and expressed gratitude to the alumni and various sectors of society for their support of the school's legal education endeavors. He noted that the lecture took place on the occasion of Shanghai Jiao Tong University's 130th anniversary alumni reunion day, making the discussion on intellectual property and global governance particularly meaningful. He emphasized that the KoGuan School of Law has attached great importance to the development of IP discipline in recent years, and expressed the hope that Mr. Zhao Ting and fellow alumni would provide further support to the law school's IP discipline in areas such as research and talent cultivation.

During the lecture, Mr. Zhao Ting systematically reviewed the global governance system for intellectual property (IP), successful cases, and China's journey of participation, while also charting a course for Chinese IP practitioners to engage in global governance. At the outset of the lecture, Mr. Zhao fondly recalled his student days at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and briefly introduced his professional experience and personal interests. He then provided an overview of the global governance of IP, outlining the main types of IP—patents, trademarks, and copyrights—and their roles in incentivizing innovation and disseminating knowledge. He noted that WIPO and the WTO are the core institutions in global IP governance, with the Paris Convention, the TRIPS Agreement, and other instruments forming the international rules framework, while WHO, regional organizations, and NGOs also participate in governance. He also introduced WIPO's development history, operational mechanisms, and service systems, highlighting that its free databases and international systems such as the PCT and the Madrid System provide support for global innovation. Regarding successful governance cases, Mr. Zhao focused on the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), noting that it is the most successful international treaty administered by WIPO. By streamlining the process for multi-country patent filings, the PCT has become a model of global IP governance, with over 60% of non-resident patent applications filed through this route. Turning to China's journey of participation, Mr. Zhao reviewed the country's engagement with WIPO, starting from its observer status at WIPO meetings in 1973, its formal accession to WIPO in 1980, and its subsequent accession to core treaties such as the PCT and the Hague Agreement. Finally, Mr. Zhao outlined four major pathways for Chinese IP professionals to engage in global governance: keeping abreast of frontier developments, building think tanks, partnering with stakeholders, and actively participating. He further advocated five principles of global governance—human-centered approach, rule of law, sovereign equality, multilateralism, and action-orientation—and encouraged Chinese IP professionals to deeply integrate into the global governance system and contribute China's wisdom.

Cao Bo, Wang Jie, and Wang Xiaobing served as discussants for the lecture. The three discussants highly appreciated the inspiring value of Mr. Zhao Ting's presentation and shared their own insights and reflections on global governance of intellectual property from the perspectives of China-U.S. relations, domestic conditions, and the operational status of the World Trade Organization. Following the discussion session, alumni, faculty, and students asked Mr. Zhao Ting questions about the lecture, and he responded.

The lecture attracted more than a hundred alumni, faculty, and students from both on and off campus. The atmosphere was relaxed and pleasant, and the audience response was enthusiastic.

The lecture concluded with warm applause.