Author Archives: China IPR SME Helpdesk

SME Biz talk: Keeping the KERCHING to yourself!

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IMG_1254What were the words on everyone’s lips when attending the business matchmaking event of the European Commission’s ‘Mission for Green Growth’ event on 19 July …Well all we were listening for was IP, IP, and IP.

You see whilst European SMEs were batting their eyelids and getting coquettish with new business contacts in the Chinese market, the IPR Helpdesk was ready on hand to offer expert first line advice to these SMEs on how they can prepare and protect themselves before delving head-first into their new ‘relationships’. Continue reading “SME Biz talk: Keeping the KERCHING to yourself!” »

Road trip down the Patent Prosecution Highway

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Hilly RoadThe Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) may not be the road most travelled, but by taking a test-drive on it, our very own Helpdesk “Stig” reveals the secret speed of Patent Prosecution that is starting to become more and more popular world-wide.

The PPH scheme, through the sharing of information between patent offices, makes eligible an application whose claims have already been determined to be patentable in a first country, to then undergo an accelerated examination in a second. This is extremely relevant as it can drastically reduce the time taken to gain patent determinability in said second country and so is pertinent to all those SMEs impatient to take advantage of favourable overseas environments, but who also recognise the importance of protecting their IPR. Continue reading “Road trip down the Patent Prosecution Highway” »

Shut the door on slamming

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Slamming SmallWe are getting reports of more and more foreign companies across Asia receiving correspondence which claims that their business’ name is about to be registered as a domain name by someone else, typically along the lines of:

Dear [insert name of Director/Senior Representative – or if less sophisticated – Sir/Madam]

This is Bobby Zhang, Senior Consultant at the domain name registration centre in xxx. We formally received an application from Random Company Inc. to register “Your Company Name” as a network brand with the following domain names: Continue reading “Shut the door on slamming” »

Don’t miss this webinar on IPR in South East Asia!

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Webinar pictureJust a quick post today: The ASEAN IPR SME Helpdesk will be hosting its opening webinar this afternoon.

“Who’s it for?” we hear you ask. It’s for European small and medium sized enterprises who are already doing or want to do business in South East Asia, and the network organisations that support them is our reply.

“What will we get from it?” Practical information about how your business can protect its intellectual property (so, your products, innovations, brand etc.) in South East Asia. You’ll also be able to ask your IP questions to the team throughout the webinar. Continue reading “Don’t miss this webinar on IPR in South East Asia!” »

The creative industry in China: Less copyright, more “copy, right?”

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Ubi GalleryAfter working as a cultural counselor at the Dutch Embassy for five years, Machtelt Schelling decided to make her dream come true and start her own gallery. She founded Ubi Gallery in Beijing in November, 2012. Machtelt says:

“I always had a personal interest in applied arts. When I moved to China I searched for forms of contemporary Chinese design, but could hardly find anything. I visited art academies and asked what their students do after graduating. I found out that it is very difficult for young Chinese designers to start a business. This is partly because they often lack the capital required to start a company and the Chinese educational system does not teach them how to use their talent commercially. Another important reason is that graduates are reluctant to promote their products, as they assume their designs would be copied if they showed them.” Continue reading “The creative industry in China: Less copyright, more “copy, right?”” »