7-3-2012. I just returned from Yangon, Myanmar, where I attended the first Myanmar Investment Summit and met with local attorneys and local businesspeople regarding foreign investment into Myanmar. I was quite surprised at the situation in Myanmar and the government method of promoting the local economy and integrating foreign investment into that development. As described
When working on complex contract manufacturing agreements, most of our clients tell us their main goal is to protect their intellectual property. This is particularly true for designers of start-up products where much of of their IP consists of trade secrets and know-how that require a formal agreement with the manufacturer. However, as we work
Pre-application trademark searches and post-application notices from the China Trademark Office (CTMO) are increasingly revealing conflicts with existing trademark registrations and pending trademark applications. Given the vast number of trademarks being filed in China, this comes as no surprise. But a cited conflict, whether in a search or from the CTMO examiner, isn’t necessarily the
Chinese manufacturers are notorious for making and sending bad products. Not surprisingly, foreign buyers of these bad products often refuse to pay their Chinese factory anything more for those products. This unpaid amount is often substantial. The foreign buyer then moves on to a new factory. This new factory is often located in the same
President Trump has his trade war, but it is not just against China. This trade war is the United States against the World. President Trump has announced tariffs of 25% on steel imports and 10% on aluminum imports under Section 232 of the United States’ National Security law. Because Section 232 is not a trade
Earlier this year, China released the final version of the national standard on personal information protection, GB/T 35273-2017 Information Technology – Personal Information Security Specification (信息安全技术 个人信息安全规范) (the “Specification”). The Specification will take effect on May 1, 2018. The Specification is not a law or regulation that requires mandatory compliance. However, it likely will be
If you are an expat working or seeking a job in China, your China employment contract matters. If you plan to travel to China to take a new job there (or even just take a new job there) you should do all of the following Have your proposed employment contract checked by a China employment
Online gaming in China is subject to the same overall regulatory framework that applies to software as a service (SaaS) in China. The regulatory framework comprises no less than a dozen key components that have developed over the past twenty years or so. The development has not evolved neatly. Earlier regulations have not been comprehensively
Not a month goes by without a company telling me how great their relationship is with their Chinese counterparty, be it the Chinese company with which they are contemplating a joint venture or the Chinese company that manufactures their widgets. As a lawyer, my thoughts when hearing this sort of thing tends to be as
Smart Chinese manufacturers know that with their costs rising, they need to be able to distinguish themselves from their peers. One of the ways they are choosing to do this (even more frequently than in the past) is by copying and selling products they are making for their foreign customers. See Your China Factory as
