China supply chain risks

Your China Supply Chain is a Bet Against the House

Last year, I asked my good friend Andrew Hupert of North American Strategic Planning to explain what is involved in moving manufacturing from China to Mexico. I chose Andrew for this because he has spent so much time in both China and Mexico, navigating their manufacturing systems from the inside. My law firm frequently consulted with

international contracts that work

International Contracts That Work

Lawyers love to jab at each other, especially when we are friends and operate in different jurisdictions or different practice areas. Recently a litigator friend said to me, “Don’t transactional lawyers just cut and paste? It looks really easy.” I replied, “Don’t litigators just argue about pointless things?” This willful misreading of each other’s skills

Mexico is the new China for manufacturing

Mexican Supply Chain Management: You’re Not in China Anymore

Last year, I asked my good friend Andrew Hupert to explain what it takes to move manufacturing from China to Mexico, in large part by comparing the two countries. I chose Andrew for this near-Herculean task because he has spent so much time in both China and Mexico, navigating their manufacturing systems from the inside. My

China M&A Deals. Mergers and Acquisitions.

VCs and PEs Hunting for China Deals Still Need an Exit Plan

December was a typically busy transactional month for our China team with the end of the calendar tax year looming. We were brought onto a China acquisition by one of our PE clients mid-month, and we closed before the end of the year. This cyclical frenetic pace of closing deals has caused me to reflect

The risks of dual language China contracts

Dual Language China Contracts: Don’t Get Fooled!

Make sure you know what your contract says in the language in which a court will be interpreting it. Oh, and having a contract with more than one "official" language almost never makes sense.

China scams crypto

China Scams: The Holiday Edition

One of our oldest and most cherished traditions is to write about China scams at the end of every year. We do this because history shows this is the biggest month for them. Scammers increase their activities at the end of the year, hoping to be less noticed/less examined due to the usual end of

Global Trademark Protection Under the Madrid Protocol

Does U.S. Trademark Law Apply Worldwide?

The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear a trademark infringement case arising under the Lanham Act that has huge implications for manufacturers and sellers of products based outside the U.S. The case is Hetronic International, Inc. v. Hetronic Germany GMBH, et al. The case arises from a $114 million judgment for an industrial

United States patents

Patents and U.S. Customs

This is the final installment in our multipart series designed to help right holders and importers better understand the opportunities and obligations that attach to intellectual property rights (IPR) in the U.S. Customs regulatory environment. This installment explores the main issues surrounding the protection and enforcement of patents in the international trade arena and offers best practice tips for