It’s Friday and the first week of our industry spotlight month is drawing to a close.
As a final treat for EU Food and Beverage SMEs we asked Mr Reinout Van Malenstein, IP lawyer and expert in Chinese intellectual property law for some advice for F&B companies looking to make the leap into the lucrative Chinese market:
Continue reading “Food and Beverage Podcast with our expert Reinout Van Malenstein” »
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Davide Follador is one of IP Key’s long term experts based in Beijing. He is responsible for the legal component focusing on trademarks, copyright, geographical indications and IP enforcement. He served as officer in the Italian Police and subsequently obtained a Master of Laws in International Commercial Law. He is also a qualified European Trademark and Design Attorney (OHIM) and is a member of the Milan BAR. Davide has been practicing as an IP lawyer since 2001 and specialises in cross border EU-China Intellectual Property matters, currently working with a cross-cultural and highly specialised international team based in Europe and in China, to design and develop EU-China cooperation activities in the field of intellectual property.
In recent months Davide has worked closely with both EU and domestic Chinese entities in the study of Chinese legal policy regarding GI products. He has kindly collated a wealth of information, together with his professional analysis of the current situation in China which should be of great use to any EU producers of GI products looking to export to China.
Continue reading “Guest Expert Davide Follador: GIs in China Today” »
“Champagne”, “Bordeaux”, “Parma Ham”, “Parmesan”. Each of these products, associated with certain regions, are renowned and trusted for their nature, quality and authenticity. As a consumer, you are probably more familiar with “Scotch”, “Cognac” and “Bavarian beer” than unnamed brands claiming to use the same ingredients. A GI is therefore a labelling that identifies a good as originating in a specific territory, region or locality, where characteristics of the good are associated with its place of origin.[1]
GIs are protected by World Trade Organization (WTO) signatories, including all 28 European Union (EU) Member States (MS) and China – since 2001. This is designed to prevent unfair competition and to protect consumers from purchasing goods that misleadingly claim to be from a particular place.
Continue reading “Getting Territorial: Champagne and Geographic Indicators in China” »
The food and beverage (F&B) industry includes the research and development, processing, production, wholesale and distribution, including branding and retailing, of a wide range of food and beverage products.
Recent research by the EU SME Centre suggests that European SMEs are increasingly expanding their business abroad, and are making significant investments in product development, pricing and growth strategies in emerging markets.
Rapid economic growth in South-East Asia is creating a burgeoning market for imported F&B products. Indonesia accounts for one third of the region’s GDP and has the fifth largest fresh food market in the world.[1] The turnover in Indonesia’s processed F&B industry grew by 4 to 5 percent in the first quarter of 2015 from the same period last year.[2]
Continue reading “Cooking up a Winning IP Strategy for the F&B Industry in Indonesia” »
Reinout van Malenstein is our China IPR Business Advisor, based at the European Chamber in Beijing. He speaks English, Chinese, Dutch and German. Reinout has been living and practicing IP law in China for several years, prior to which he worked for a ‘Magic Circle’ law firm in the Netherlands. Reinout speaks to EU SMEs about their IPR concerns on a daily basis.
We asked Reinout: what are the top five problems EU SMEs experience in China?
Continue reading “Exclusive tips from our IP Expert: top five problems for EU SMEs in China” »