Tag Archives: Helpdesk

IPR Protection in China for the Fashion Industry

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fashion2The fashion industry is booming in China and offering also many promising business opportunities  to European SMEs as Chinese consumers appreciate European fashion design. European SMEs should, however, keep in mind that even though Chinese IP laws and regulations have improved a lot, counterfeiting and other IP infringements are still commonplace in China. This blog post gives an overview of IP protection in the fashion industry and explains through one well-known case study the importance of registering also the Chinese version of your brand.  

The fashion industry encompasses the design, manufacturing, distribution, retailing, marketing and promotion of clothing, footwear and accessories and is worth billions of Euros every year.

While the fashion industry initially developed in Europe and the United States (the Italian footwear industry is one of the largest in the world and the textile industry is one of the United States’ most important employers in the manufacturing sector), today, fashion is an international and highly globalized sector.

China’s fashion industry, for instance, is set to become the world’s second largest fashion market by 2020, with sales expected to reach over RMB 1.3 trillion (EUR 182 billion) – roughly three times their current level.[1] According to the Boston Consulting Group, China will account for 30% of the global fashion market’s growth over the next five years.[2]  Continue reading “IPR Protection in China for the Fashion Industry” »

Patent Strategies for Startups

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Today’s Post will focus on Patent Strategies for Startups in South-East Asia and has been kindly drafted for us by Ms. Chan Wai Yeng who is a patent specialist at Taylor Vinters Via LLC. Ms. Chan Wai Yeng will explore three patent strategies and several alternatives to ensure your product is best protected.

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Startups generally worry that acquiring a patent is prohibitively expensive

As discussed in the first patent article, the cost of patenting is high and generally several order of magnitudes higher than the cost of acquiring other IP rights such as trade mark and industrial design rights.

A cohesive patent strategy can yield significant competitive advantage

The high level of financial investment involved in patent filing may deter startups from developing a comprehensive IP strategy that includes patent filings at its initial development stage. However, startups with a cohesive patent strategy that aligns with their business can benefit from gaining a strong competitive advantage in the market. Having a patent filing strategy can also mitigate litigation risks from competitors.

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Design Patents and Utility Models in China: Know Before You Go

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In today’s blog-post, we will look into the relevance of Design Patents and Utility Models for European SMEs in China. China remains among the top destinations for any business looking to internationalise, and the business environment there is still evolving in terms of both production and consumption. Its growing capacity to produce sophisticated manufactures and complex services is matched by an increasingly affluent domestic consumer base that demands state-of-the-art, internationally popular brands and products.

Patent Pending

Although stories of Chinese counterfeits and brand infringements are still regular news in international media, the IPR system in China has seen considerable development in the last decade. This is propelled to a large extent by domestic industries innovating like never before and keen to protect their new technologies, and also those trying their chances with as many IPR filings as possible in order to improve their status or satisfy local government innovation drives. Whatever the reason, the number of patent applications shows the trend clearly: a 20.5% year-on-year increase for 2015 to more than 1,124,000 applications. Also, foreign patent applications are increasing fast, boasting a 14.9% year-on-year increase for 2015.

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Booming ICT Market in Thailand – Some IP Considerations for the European SMEs

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In today’s blog post, we will dive into IPR protection in the ICT Sector in Thailand: Thailand is currently the second largest buyer of ICT products and services in the ASEAN region and its ICT market is expected to grow at a fast pace in the near future, propelled by increased consumption and urbanisation, as well as the growing middle class.[1] Underpinned by the Thai Government’s new Digital Economy Policy, aiming to develop hard and soft digital infrastructure across the country and modernizing the economy through digitalization, Thailand is expected to offer many promising business opportunities for European SMEs.

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IPR in the Tourism Industry in China

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According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, China is the fastest growing tourism source market in the world, as Chinese middle class is getting more affluent and it is increasingly able to afford traveling abroad. At the same time, China’s domestic tourism market is also growing in a fast pace, boasting 10% average annual growth rate.[1] Furthermore, as Chinese Government is committed to developing the tourism sector, plenty of business opportunities can arise for the European SMEs. In today’s blog-post, the China IPR SME Helpdesk will look into what EU SMEs should do to protect their IPR in the tourism sector in China.

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However, there are some significant restrictions for foreign-invested companies wishing to engage in Chinese ‘outbound’ tourism market, as all foreign-invested entities need to apply for a special license with the China National Tourism Administration. The application process is lengthy and currently only few foreign-invested companies are allowed to operate on China’s outbound tourism market.

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