Visit China Import and Export trade fair

This session I am very busy with various business and personal matter, so have to do the visit on Sunday.

I visited the show because two of our clients asked us to do, to check out if there is any infringing products. I spotted one potential infringement and decided to purchase the product for further analysis. We will have our associated company in China to handle that later.

After doing what I have to do, I also want to see other types of goods, fishing if you like. I saw at least 5 counts of possible infringement, two are design patents, one utility patent. These can be good job to work for their IP owner. As I am not a lawyer in Hong Kong, I have more freedom to cold call custmers!

The Guangzhou Trade Fair

Each year in April and October, there are Guangzhou Trade Fair. It started in 1957 and was the only channel for export from China. Over the fifty years, the trade fair only allow export companies in China to show in the trade fair, and foreign buyers as visitor. Average Chinese citizens are not allowed to entered into the show. Starting this year, the 101st Guangzhou Trade Fair, oversea sellers are allowed to display their products for importing into China, so it becomes an import and export trade fair and rename itself as China Import and Export Fair. Because of the large number of products it carries, it has two separated sessions. The first session ended in 20 Apr and the second session is still in progress.

According to State Intellectual Property Office of PRC, there were 203 case of complaints for infringement of intellectual property in the first session, which represents a 15% decrease over last year. The official news (in Chinese) can be found here.

I have a customer who carries products displayed in second session, and I will go to Guangzhou to see the exhibition and check out if there are any infringing products. The second session ends on 30 Apr, next Monday. Then it will be the long holiday in China for the 1 May labour day.

Amendment of patent bill in Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Government is in the process to update the patent bill to implement a protocol adopted by the World Trade Organisation related to the issues related to import and payment of license fee for generic patented drugs, this is in particular addressing public health problems.

 

Speech by government officials on the subject can be found in a speech made on April 18.

State of intellectual property protection in China

I attended a confeeence today. I think the best quote is "別人的免費拿來，自已的一毛不拔。", translated into "Others' property is free, as for mine, don't even think about it." by Social Brain Foundtion, a foundation in China. This is to describe the state of intellectual property protection in China. What a good statement!

Starbucks in Beijing Palace Museum

People Congress is in session in Beijing. Two bills related to IPR would be discussed, one of them being the new Patent Law, the other, will be Private Property Law.


On top of that, recent Chinese media also gives quite some air time/coverage on the issue related to a small coffee shop in Palace Museum (also known as Forbidden City). Starbucks has been operating a small outlet in Palace Museum for more than 6 years, in a house that was used to be a common room for king's consultants, which was equivalent to meeting room for the senior ministries.


In recent months, a lot of people, and now including members of People Congress, want to kick Starbucks out of Palace Museum immediately, regardless of any commercial contract between the tenant and landlord. These opinions said that it pose danger to China's national culture. One of the report of the news can be seen here.


I have visited Palace Museum more than 6 years ago. Without Starbucks, I think that will be modern version of shops selling icy cold soft drinks, vendors selling ice cream (yes I bought ice cream in Palace Museum in my last visit, and I believe it is a European brand), vendors selling cheap replicate of old artificate. I dont know whether they will ban foreign brands such as American soft drinks or European ice cream in order to protect China's national culture after they successfully kick Star?