China is a lucrative place at the moment and many brands and companies will be planning their entry strategies. Even if you're not inspecting China for expansion at the moment it's worth taking some easy steps to protect your corporate identity in case you ever do. Here's an inside guide on what to do about trademarks and copyright in the Middle Kingdom.
Trademarking in China
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One of the most shocking things to Western companies trying to operate in the country is how surely their brand identity can be stolen by others. There's no restraint on third party trademark registrations and once person has taken your name, it's very hard to get it back. Filing a trademark application in China should be a priority for any enterprise that may one day choose to do enterprise there.
And it's not just your usual name that needs to be protected; you also need to cover the Mandarin spelling and pronunciation too. Chinese consumers struggle to claim approximately all Western brand names and will happily make up their own version instead, which can mean that even if you enshrine your company's character in your own language, an unscrupulous local enterprise can trade on the back of your reputation. It's worth noting that often a failure to mark containers in a Mandarin version will lead to your own distributors in China creating a localized version for their customers instead.
Copyright in China
Here there's some good news in that, just as in many other countries, copyright is automatically enforceable once you originate something. Registration is optional. However it is advisable, China allows companies to voluntarily register their copyright over any material and doing so makes it much easier to defend your work in court. Evidential requirements for unregistered material are stringent and both time spirited and precious to satisfy, so it's a best strategy to cover yourself in advance.
There's much made of the lack of a high ability intellectual property regulation theory in China, and this is to some extent true. However it's worth noting that the vast majority of brand damage and misappropriation can be avoided by thrifty action by the current owner. With the country shaping up to offer the world's largest buyer shop it makes sense to get ready to hold onto your possession whether or not you intend to exercise them immediately.
Chinese consumers are highly sensitive to brand value and their purchasing habits will only continue to reflect this as the country becomes wealthier. Make sure you stand to benefit from this in full, by ensuring your trademarks and copyright.
Protecting Your Brand in China - Trademarks and CopyrightTags : Buy Shopping Discount Cheap Kitchen Stuff Commercial Low Temperature Dehumidifier
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