2008 Expo Legal Forum Was Held in Shanghai

Translated by: Michael Ni On December 23, 2008, legal forum on Legal Issues Related to the 5th Expo Site Management was held successfully in Baihua Hall, 4th Floor, Pine City Hotel. This forum focuses on "Legal Issues Related to the 5th Expo Site Management". Mr. Shen Guoming, Director of the Commission of Legislative Affairs of Shanghai Municipal People's Congress, moderated the opening ceremony and Mr. Liu Zhengdong, General Secretary of Shanghai Bar Association attend the forum and delivered his address. Experts, scholars and lawyers, more than 300 people, from relevant Administrative Departments, universities and law firms took part in the forum. Mr. Li Jibin, Deputy Secretary-General of Shanghai Law Society and Mr. Zhou Hanmin, Deputy Director General of Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, etc. made keynote speeches, among which Mr. Zhou Hanmin raised 10 wide but practical issues which should be highly focused by legal professions in his speech "Overview of the Legal Development and Legal Issues Related to the Site Management of Expo 2010 " including the legal characteristic of the site management of Expo, clauses on the Expo ticket the inspection right of the organizer and other issues like these. I paid more attention to the issues in IP area, i.e. whether visitors have the right to counterdraw, draw, photograph and make videos about the sights in Expo site and exhibition halls and whether they have the right to publish and other IP related issues. Moreover, Mr. Wang Qian, professor of East China University of Political Science and Law, made a keynote speech on copy protection of works in Expo site and detailed analyzed the "Fair Use" issues of works in Expo site. Legal issues related to Expo are so wide that 14 special regulations of Shanghai Expo up till now. We set up an "Expo 2010" column and continuously follow legal issues about Expo. Your participation and discussion are anticipated. Zhong Yi, attorney at law, Shanghai Runhe Law Firm Member of the Shanghai Bar Association Intellectual Property Rights and Foreign- related Law