Source: Shanghai Law and Finance Daily
The exhibition also exhibits the phenomenon of "brand imitation".Recently, the Finance and Economy Commission of the Shanghai People's Congress held a meeting to launch the research project on "Draft Regulations on Exhibition Industry in Shanghai".
According to Mr. Shen Wei Hua, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Commerce Commission, in 2015, Shanghai hosted 851 types of exhibitions (including 292 international exhibitions), with a total area of 15.13 million square meters, which was the first in the country. As of the end of 2015, Shanghai had 13 major exhibition venues, with an exhibition area of nearly 1 million square meters. The number and exhibition area of exhibitions in Shanghai are among the top in major cities in the world. However, Mr. Shen Wei Hua also admitted that Shanghai still has a significant gap compared to world-renowned exhibition cities in terms of service and management of the exhibition industry.
In 2005, Shanghai was the first in the country to introduce the "Management Regulations for Exhibition Industry in Shanghai" (hereinafter referred to as "Regulations"). However, with the rapid growth of exhibitions and the construction and operation of the National Exhibition Center (Shanghai), the exhibition industry has encountered many new situations and problems. The existing "Regulations" are relatively outdated. At the same time, how to play the role of the exhibition industry in promoting trade, tourism, and culture, and how to achieve the coordinated development of exhibition, tourism, and culture is becoming an important topic to promote the economic level of the city. During the third session of the 14th Shanghai People's Congress, 10 representatives jointly proposed the drafting of "Regulations on Exhibition Industry in Shanghai".
In order to better regulate and promote the orderly development of the exhibition industry and related services in the city, from last year, the research group consisting of the Finance and Economy Commission of the Shanghai People's Congress, the Legal Affairs Bureau of the Government, the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, and the Shanghai Legislative Research Institute has jointly conducted research on the legislation of the exhibition industry in Shanghai, and formed the research report on "Legislation of Exhibition Industry in Shanghai". At the launch meeting, Mr. Huang Yue, Senior Consultant of the Shanghai Legislative Research Institute, said that this year, the research group will study and form the "Regulations on Exhibition Industry in Shanghai (Draft Recommendation)" and the project verification report, and strive to be a legislative project for the next plenary session.
Mr. Shen Wei Hua said that with the operation of the National Exhibition Center and the opening of the international exhibition approval system, the number of exhibitions in the city will further increase, and the competition between similar and themed exhibitions is inevitable. How to promote the overall healthy development of the exhibition industry, balance the development of the number of exhibitions with the existing exhibitions, and avoid phenomena such as fraudulent exhibitions, false exhibitions, and vicious imitation exhibitions, lack clear principles and guidance, especially for the protection of intellectual property rights of brands, exhibitors, and exhibition designs, which need to be clarified through legislation.
Mr. Qian Yewen, Director of the Exhibition Business Research Committee of the Shanghai Lawyers Association, also agrees that the exhibition industry should expand the scope of rights protection. "Exhibition construction in foreign countries also has intellectual property rights, which should be clearly listed to solve the disputes of trademarks and corporate reputation."