Startups cannot protect every trademark, patent, design, and trade secret everywhere at once. The smarter approach is to identify what the business cannot afford to lose, focus on the countries that matter most, and build an international IP strategy around revenue, manufacturing, expansion plans, and a realistic budget.
International deals become far more dangerous when the contracts, ownership records, customs filings, or tax documents say something different from what actually happened. These real-world cases show why the paperwork matters.
A buyer paid a Yiwu intermediary $147,000. Most of the goods never shipped. Here is why we told the buyer to skip the lawsuit and go to the police instead.
Why it makes sense to use an American lawyer who is fluent in Chinese to handle your China trademark filings.
Buying expensive equipment directly from China can save a business substantial money, but the risks rise quickly when the product is customized and the seller already has most of the purchase price. These seven questions help buyers protect themselves before they pay.
The Boise Cascade guilty plea shows why opaque DDP shipping can expose U.S. buyers to customs investigations, unpaid duties, penalties, and criminal risk.
Artwork can cross borders faster than the legal protections behind it. This guide explains how artists can protect ownership, control overseas production, register key rights, safeguard their names, and respond when galleries, manufacturers, licensees, or counterfeiters misuse their work.
Your China Employee Signed the Vacation Policy. You Can Still Lose. Every year, foreign employers in China face the same claim. Their handbook says unused vacation expires at year-end, every employee signed an acknowledgment, HR sent the reminders, and payroll kept a leave spreadsheet. Then an employee resigns or is terminated and demands compensation for
Your China contract may look comprehensive and still bind the wrong company. This article uses the RedNote dispute and two real manufacturing matters to show why contracts must reach the entities that actually control the factory, tooling, technical information, and money, and what can happen when they do not.
China adopted a revised Trademark Law on June 26, 2026. The new law will take effect on January 1, 2027. Much of the commentary surrounding the revised law has focused on the statutory changes themselves. Foreign companies, however, should focus on what they need to do differently before the law takes effect. The fundamentals remain
