Hello ASEAN IPR SME Helpdesk!

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ASEAN mapFollowing the impending launch of a new support initiative for European Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) – the ASEAN IPR SME Helpdesk – the China IP Insider is set to become the Your IP Insider. This is not merely a change of name but also an evolution of content. Readers will continue to benefit from expert contributions which provide advice and commentary on the intellectual property (IP) reality in China but additionally, the same business-focused articles will now be provided for the ten countries which form the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Continue reading “Hello ASEAN IPR SME Helpdesk!” »

From China Law Blog: ‘China Distribution Agreements: Exclusivity Is NOT Required’

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With an increasingly affluent population the Chinese domestic market is expanding rapidly in many sectors; the financial rewards available mean more and more European businesses are distributing goods in China and if you’re considering joining them, China Law Blog points out at least one potential pitfall which you should be aware of: Distribution Agreements are NOT required to be exclusive. No such law exists in China. During negotiations, some Chinese companies may claim that you need to sign an exclusive distribution agreement because “this is how it is done in China” but this is not true – be wary of such statements. Read China Law Blog’s full post on this topic, here.

IPR: A territorial animal

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Since working on the China IPR SME Helpdesk I have organised and attended scores of events on various intellectual property (IP) topics. Following presentations from legal experts we always allow some time for a question and answer session. The most common question asked by European businesses is a variation of the following question:

“If I have a (insert trade mark or patent) registered in (insert EU country). Is it valid in China?” Continue reading “IPR: A territorial animal” »

Company logo – why register it in China?

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[This guest post has been kindly contributed by European small business and China IPR SME Helpdesk user, English Trackers]

In this world of instant gratification, it takes two years to get your registration certificate. That’s pretty long.

As a comparison, it only took me three months to get my Wholly Owned Foreign Enterprise (WOFE) licence (back in 2008). Continue reading “Company logo – why register it in China?” »

Three ways not to become a ‘three-legged horse’. Think about your brand name in China

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We could also have titled this post ‘Three ways to stop your product being ‘old man brand’. Think about your trade mark in China’. These names, ‘Lao Ren Pai’ (老人牌) meaning ‘Old Man Brand’ and ‘San Jiao Ma’ (三脚马), meaning ‘Three-Legged Horse’ are the names Chinese consumers adopted for Quaker Oatmeal and Ralph Lauren respectively. It would be a fairly radical change in marketing tack if these were the connotations that each of these companies were going for… So why did it happen? Continue reading “Three ways not to become a ‘three-legged horse’. Think about your brand name in China” »