Publish time: Tue Nov 13 16:49:04 CST 2018
On the morning of October 26 2018, the symposium on “Sports, Entertainment, Tech and IP- opportunities and developments for Sino-American engagements” jointly organized by the Beijing Arbitration Commission / Beijing International Arbitration Center (the “BAC”) and the Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services (the “JAMS”) was successfully held at the BAC international conference hall. This symposium was moderated by Mr. Tao Jingzhou, Partner of Dechert LLP. The keynote speakers include Mr. David Huebner, renowned arbitrator and mediator of the JAMS and a former American ambassador, Ms. Barbara A. Reeves, renowned arbitrator and mediator of the JAMS, and Mr. Tian Jigeng, General Counsel of EssenEra Media Technologies (Beijing) Company Limited, who conducted a dialogue on Sino-American IP disputes. The event attracted more than 70 audience including arbitrators of the BAC, lawyers, in-house counsels and college teachers and students.
The Symposium
Dr. Chen Fuyong, Deputy Secretary General of the BAC, delivered a welcome speech at the beginning of the symposium. He was delighted with the visit of the JAMS delegation, and gave a warm welcome to all the attendees. He highlighted that the BAC has dealt with a number of disputes in connection with sports, entertainment, technology and IP. As long-term partners, the BAC and the JAMS shall strengthen their exchanges, and promote the industry development.
Dr. Chen Fuyong
Thereafter, Mr. Tao Jingzhou, as the moderator, shared his memory of being engaged in sports arbitration ten years ago, and made a solemn introduction of the three keynote speakers.
Mr. Tao Jingzhou
Mr. David Huebner gave his keynote speech first. He believed that a well-functioning dispute resolution mechanism is indispensable to the development of both Chinese and American economies. Based on his experience dealing with international IP disputes, he summarized that either in China or in America, the impartiality and independence of arbitral procedure should be paid much attention. With the growth of global economy and the ever-deepening cross-border technical cooperation, IP related dispute resolution need better protection from dispute resolution mechanisms.
Mr. David Huebner
Next, Ms. Barbara A. Reeves shared her thoughts. She said that the decision making process in entertainment and sports is usually highly emotional, and thus the Med-Arb mode has been increasingly applied in such areas. Then she shared some mediation skills with vivid languages and sample cases. Meanwhile, she stressed that the interests and images of public figures are often involved in entertainment and sports industries, which require for more flexible treatment.
Ms. Barbara A. Reeves
Mr. Tian Jigeng then introduced the status quo of the sports, entertainment and technology industries in China. He said that nowadays Chinese people are increasingly aware of the protection of IP. Sports broadcasting in entertainment industry, copyright of movies and TV plays, AI and blockchain are all issues that deserve consideration and attention from the legal perspective, both currently and in the future. In addition, he shared his views concerning the copyright royalty and investment of movie and TV play production.
Mr. Tian Jigeng
In the subsequent panel discussion, Mr. David Huebner highlighted the sample case of dispute resolved electronically with application of AI and the like. Mr. Tao Jingzhou and Mr. Tian Jigeng said that the “Arb-Med” mode has been widely applied in China. Ms. Barbara A. Reeves said that the “Arb-Med” mode has been in use in America, but practitioners of the industry are still very cautious with it.
At last, the audience and the speakers had a warm discussion about the key and difficult issues within the entertainment, sports, technology and IP industries. Moderated by Mr. Tao Jingzhou, the symposium came to a successful end.
Group photo of the speakers
Prior to the symposium, Madame Wang Hongsong, Vice Chairperson of the BAC and Dr. Chen Fuyong had a meeting with Mr. Chris Poole, President of the JAMS, where they had an exchange on future cooperation between the two institutions, and their joint exploration of cross-border diversified dispute resolution means.
Madame Wang Hongsong
Representatives of BAC and JAMS
For more information and news, please check the BAC’s official website and WeChat Account.