China Copyright Law: It Pays to Register
If you truly want to protect your content in China, register your copyright in China
Must I Register My Company Name as a Trademark in China?
No two China trademark strategies are the same, but one thing is pretty much a constant: You should register the company’s original English name. Before we go on, a clarification: I use “English name” as shorthand, but these names are often in other languages, or simply be a random collection of Latin letters. Names in
Forced Labor in China: Companies Need to Start Paying Attention
On July 14, the U.S. Senate passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. In an era of hyperpartisanship, the Act is a rare instance of truly bipartisan legislation. Cosponsors included figures from across the political spectrum, from Josh Hawley to Elizabeth Warren. This in itself is something businesses should take note of, as it is
Cease and Desist Letters to Stop International Counterfeiting
Hardly a week goes by without a company contacting one of our international IP lawyers wanting to retain us to “stop the counterfeits” of their products online and offline. Far too often these people believe one of our IP lawyers can within 24 hours send out a “template” cease and desist letter and within another 24
The Problem with Online Trademark Services for China
The Problem with Online Trademark Services for China Once or twice a month, my law firm’s international trademark lawyers are contacted by companies whose China trademark registrations were mishandled by online trademark services. In all instances, the registration problems stem from online services claiming they can register trademarks globally, including in China. These claims are
Money for Nothing: Paying Chinese Suppliers in Hong Kong or Singapore
Your China manufacturer asks you to send its payment to a bank account in another jurisdiction, such as Hong Kong or Singapore. Should you agree? Probably not. When working with our clients that are having their products manufactured in China (or in various other leading manufacturing countries such as Taiwan, Thailand, Mexico, Poland, Vietnam, India,
China Trademarks: Register via Madrid or in China?
Whenever clients ask about filing a trademark in China via the Madrid System, my answer is simple: filing a national application directly with China’s own Trademark Office is better. The one-size-fits-all Madrid process makes registering a trademark in China seem easy. Really easy: all you have to do is check a box marked “China.” However, while Madrid applications are
How Do I Decide Which Type of Foreign Entity to Use When Taking My Company Overseas?
In two recent posts, How To Succeed When Taking Your Company Overseas and Do I Always Need to Form a Company in a Foreign Country?, I discussed some common issues companies need to wrestle with when deciding whether and how to take their company overseas. Among those are the pitfalls of having a foreign entity
The Biden Administration’s International Trade Policies — Mostly Still Waiting
Six months into the Biden Administration and international trade has largely been out of the headlines. President Biden’s trade policies so far have been defined more by what he has not done (lift any of the tariffs imposed by President Trump) than what he has done. Although the handful of Biden’s trade policies stylistically reflect