The Dragon Design Foundation joined LKK, a Beijing-headquartered creative design company, to hold a seminar on the challenges facing China’s creative design industry in Beijing on Feb 10.

The seminar, which took place at the Copyright Protection Center of China, focused on LKK’s fancy product — the 55° Cup, an innovative cup that can cool down boiling water to a moderate temperature through its patented physical method.

Zhang Qi, director general of the Dragon Design Foundation, called for a better environment for the nation’s creative designs industry in his address in Beijing on Feb 10, 2015. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The cup, designed by Beijing 55°Technology Co, a subsidiary of LKK, gained astonishing popularity since it entered the market in Oct, 2014.

However, what came with such popularity was a large number of counterfeits.

Some counterfeiters copied LKK’s 55°Cup design look, package and even the trademark, but they used cheap material, which caused much criticism from the public who bought into it and hurt LKK’s brand image and interests severely.

As the founder of LKK, Jia Wei expressed his helplessness in cracking down so many counterfeiters and all kinds of rumors that damage his design team’s brainchild they created with painstaking efforts.

He called for public respect for the intellectual property and hoped that people could realize the value of innovation and be willing to pay for the products with innovative and original designs.

LKK would take into account customer suggestions and try to satisfy their needs when it makes more innovative cups in the future, he added.

Jia Wei(2nd L) and some participants in a group photo after the seminar in Beijing on Feb 10, 2015. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Gu Huanyu, editor-in-chief of China Top Brands, a magazine owned by Xinhua News Agency, suggested that the fancy products should not only have their brand story and make online promotion, but also draft strategies for brand protection in advance.

Sun Jie, the head of the law department of China’s Copyright Protection Center, echoed Gu’s statement and emphasized the importance of copyright protection and argued for the enterprises’ rights.

Ma Dongxiao, a partner at ZhongLun Law Firm, urged the public to raise awareness of copyright protection for the enterprises with creation and innovation, especially under the current complex circumstances of the Internet.

Lin Xiaoyue, an intellectual property expert, spoke of the challenges for intellectual property protection as Chinese companies have become more aware of their rights for their designs and creations.

Zhang Qi, the director general of the Dragon Design Foundation, called for a better environment for the nation’s creative designs industry.

As China’s first foundation in design sector, the Dragon Design Foundation devotes itself to helping develop enterprises with professional services.

A guest signs up to support LKK’s campaign to protect its original design in the seminar in Beijing on Feb 10, 2015. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Also present at the seminar were officials, experts, scholars and professionals in the legal field, who were concerned about the development of Chinese design industries and the protection of the intellectual property. They also signed up to a campaign about innovative creation titled "I support original Chinese designs".