Succeeding in China: How to Mitigate Intellectual Property Risk

Are you an innovative British business and thinking about building a new market in China?

China is a potential export and licensing market for UK businesses, and also as a partner for manufacturing, investment, innovation and creative collaborations. There are significant opportunities on offer for British companies in a range of technology sectors.

Intellectual property (IP) in China is never far from the headlines. Some praise the development of China’s IP system and highlight the latest enforcement success. Others complain of forced technology transfer and infringement.

Getting IP right is crucial if UK companies are to succeed in China. Tom Duke – the UK’s IP Attaché to China, based in the British Embassy Beijing – supports over 250 companies each year from across the UK. This includes advising British companies and their boards on risk mitigation strategies ahead of China projects, and helping resolve disputes after they arise.

Tom will share practical tips to ensure your China venture has the best possible chance of success.

Tom will cover:

The main IP risks of doing business in China, and how can this affects exporting, manufacturing, investment, joint research and other projects
Know before you go: Practical steps to mitigate IP risk, including IP registrations, China contract best-practice and structuring relationships with Chinese partners
Protecting IP in the tech sector, including focus on software, the implications of Chinese data regulations on IP risks, and cross-border licensing best practice.
Don’t panic! What do if things go wrong

Details:

Monday 5 November 2018

University of Surrey, Guildford

Arrival 09:30am

Finish 12:00 midday

This event is free of charge and booking is required. It is suitable for companies of all sizes, with a particularly relevance for those in high technology sectors.

Our Speaker

Tom Duke

Intellectual Property Attaché

British Embassy Beijing

Tom Duke has been the UK’s intellectual property attaché to China since December 2011, based in the British Embassy, Beijing. Tom is part of the UK Intellectual Property Office’s international IP attaché network, which includes attaché postings to India, Brazil and South East Asia.

IP attachés help to build relations with the governments of host countries to understand and actively engage with IP policy makers. The network has significantly increased the level of support available for UK businesses operating within these important markets.

Tom works alongside the Department for International Trade (DIT), the British diplomatic network, and UK and EU industry associations and projects to ensure that UK stakeholder IP concerns are addressed and smoothly integrated into bilateral policy discussions.

Prior to joining the Embassy, Tom was Director responsible for the IP Centre at the EU Chamber of Commerce in Seoul, South Korea. In Korea, Tom designed and implemented government engagement programmes on IP on behalf of European companies, and launched projects to enhance regional cooperation on IP enforcement.

Tom has lived and worked in the region for fourteen years and speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese and Korean.