On the afternoon of March 19, the 8th joint forum of the sub-commission and the branch office - Lecture on “Key Points of Trade Secret Protection and Infringement Remedy in Online Game Industry” was successfully held in Wuhan.

The event was co-organized by the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission Hubei Sub-commission (“CIETAC Hubei Sub-commission”) and Globe-Law Lawyers Wuhan Office, with Hubei Corporate Counsel Association as the supporting unit. Nearly 100 people, including CIETAC arbitrators, business executives, in-house counsel, lawyers, university teachers and students, attended the event on site.

(At the event)

Yang Fan, Secretary General of CIETAC Hubei Sub-commission, made an opening speech. Xie Xiongfeng, head of Globe-Law Lawyers Wuhan Office, hosted the event.

(Speech by Secretary General Yang Fan)

Secretary General Yang Fan pointed out in her speech that the online game industry, characterized by high innovation, strong permeability and wide coverage, is an emerging economic sector and new economic growth point. Focusing on the hot issues related to the protection of intellectual property rights in this emerging industry will provide strong practical guidance for industry practitioners and dispute resolution parties, and thereby foster the high-quality development of the industry.

Disputes related to the online game industry are characterized by novelty, complexity, professionalism and high technology. Operators in the game and e-sports industry are facing hundreds of millions of game users and online audiences. Once disputes occur, business reputation and IP of enterprises will be adversely affected, and their trade secrets need protection. Due to the rapid update of online games, the industry calls for high efficiency of dispute resolution.

The advantages of commercial arbitration, such as professionalism, confidentiality and efficiency, perfectly meet the dispute resolution needs of the online game industry. As one of the five most preferred international arbitration institutions in the world, the credibility of CIETAC is highly recognized by the international arbitration community and arbitration users. In recent years, CIETAC witnesses disputes relating to the online game industry emerging as a rapid-developing new type of case. Furthermore, CIETAC enjoys rich experience in dispute resolution and abundant expert resources of arbitrators in this field.

CIETAC and its Hubei Sub-commission hope to play a greater role in dispute resolution of the online game industry in the future, and facilitate the industry to release new quality productive forces and realize healthy and sustainable development.

(Xie Xiongfeng hosted the event)

(Keynote speech session, from left to right: Deng Luyi, Xiao Xiao)

In the keynote speech session, Deng Luyi, a lawyer from Globe-Law Lawyers Wuhan Office, delivered a speech on the topic of “Trade Secret Protection in Online Game Industry”. Deng systematically summarized the game industry in six aspects from the legal perspective, namely, the current situation of the industry, the importance of trade secrets, China's legislative system, the criteria and basis for the determination of trade secrets, the analysis of typical infringement cases, and the management of preventive measures. Xiao Xiao, a lawyer from Globe-Law Lawyers Wuhan Office, delivered a speech on the topic of “Points on Remedy for Online Game Infringement Disputes”. After  analyzing the development of regulation, legislation and practice from the perspective of compliance and competition, Xiao put forward practical suggestions on legal remedy for online game infringement disputes by interpreting relevant judicial guidelines.

(Q&A session)

In the Q&A session, the speakers answered the questions raised by the participants regarding the jurisdiction of online game disputes, the scope and standard of compensation for online game infringement, and the competing liabilities of breach of contract and infringement, etc., and had warm interactions with the audiences.

(Concluding remarks by Director Wang Zhengzhi)

Wang Zhengzhi, CIETAC arbitrator, Director of Intellectual Property Specialized Committee of All China Lawyers Association, and Director of Globe-Law Lawyers, made a concluding speech. He said that commercial arbitration features professionalism, efficiency, flexibility and inclusiveness, which coincides with the dispute resolution needs of the online game industry. This pragmatic and brilliant seminar will have a positive effect on the healthy development of the online game industry.

The symposium successfully concluded in a warm atmosphere.