The Safeguarding your intellectual property business event, which has a strong focus on the growing China market, will be held at Beamish Hall Hotel on Wednesday, 10 December, 0730-10.30.
The event is free but the number of places is limited. For more information or to book a place contact the North East International Trade Hotline on 0845 05 05 054 or email enquiries@ukti.rito.co.uk
Dr Zhengming Yang, UK Trade and Investment's China Business Development Manager, explained "A company's intellectual property portfolio may be its most valuable asset. Many companies are finding the loss of control over their products as a result of counterfeiting and other forms of intellectual property rights (IPR) abuse originating in China is having a serious impact on their business.
"A recent study revealed 40 per cent of smaller companies in the EU said they believed China was the major source of IPR infringement but, putting this in perspective, the second highest category mentioned was other companies in their own home markets.
"It is an issue that needs to be considered. Some companies become so worried they adopt a stay-at-home attitude, avoiding potentially lucrative markets such as China. Others ignore the problem altogether and, it is true, many companies do business in China without suffering any IPR infringements.
"But the best way forward is to adopt a balanced view – first you need to understand the concepts of IPR as applied to unfamiliar markets; then make a risk assessment based on a range of factors including the vulnerability of the company and its products or services in the target markets. Only then can a company decide whether its worth doing business in the market.
"Our event aims to help companies to weigh up the pros and cons to enable them to make an informed choice. We have a panel of experts on hand to provide advice, guidance and to share their own personal experiences of IPR infringement.
"Companies can also find out about the wide range of support services available through UK Trade and Investment to help them succeed in China and other markets around the world."
Ross Cordiner, UK Trade and Investment's Deputy International Trade Director will chair the event and the expert panel will include:
- Steve Mohun, Partner with Haseltine Lake, European Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys
- Vince Cunningham, China Business Adviser with the China Britain Business Council.
