China Expert

By Ram Deshpande

Building an effective system for the protection of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) has become essential for China. Consequently, the Chinese government has worked hard to establish a world-class patent-protection system during the past 20 years, and during the past 27 years, China joined the major international IP Organizations and Treaties:

International IP Organizations and Treaties that China has Joined
Year of Joining:
1980 - World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
1985 - Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property
1992 - Berne Convention
1993 - Geneva Convention (Unauthorized Duplication of Phonograms)
1994 - Patent Co-operation Treaty (PCT) Read the rest of “Secure your intellectual property in China – Part 2: The legal side” or post a comment

By Ron Cune

Every year in December the government announces the dates of national holidays, which vary each year. This year, the festivities in honour of the Dragon Boat Festival were an official day off in China.

During these national holidays, the Chinese people tend to join for a family gathering. In this case, ‘the family’ refers to the parents from father’s side, sons & their wives, unmarried daughters and the grand children. During these gatherings food and banquet-like meals are savoured, people go out to parks or enjoy themselves watching television. Because most families live in different cities, gatherings last usually several days under one roof; quite exhausting in European eyes.

In China as well as the West old traditions are being modernised. However the traditional family value goes strong as ever. This shows not only during the festivities but in day to day life as well. The family values are paramount.
Read the rest of “Family Matters” or post a comment

By Matthew Harrison, Director of B2B International China

The question of how to market and sell to companies based in China is one that is debated endlessly by foreign companies seeking to profit from the huge potential of the country. Views expressed by businesspeople claiming to know the secret of success in China vary wildly, from those (generally newcomers) who say that marketing and selling in China is ‘just like home’ through to those (usually those with at least a couple of years’ experience in China) who exaggerate the unique nature of Chinese business and Chinese people to such an extent that selling in China sounds like an impossibility. The reality is that these two positions are both equally crass and incorrect – there is no reason why a Western company with a flexible, patient and ‘listening’ approach to marketing and sales should not succeed in the Chinese market. Read the rest of “Marketing and Selling to Chinese Businesses - Part 1″ or post a comment

By Andrew Hupert

Management consultants and academics who look at negotiation sometimes place counterparties on a matrix of 2 dimensions – concern for others’ goals and concern for one’s own goal.

Competitive negotiators care only about their own needs and nothing for the counterparties. They are Win-Lose negotiators.

Accommodators are those that care more about their counterparty’s needs than their own. Salesmen with important clients fit into this category of Lose-Win negotiators.

Compromisers are the ones that try to work out differences and arrive at an equitable distribution of scarce resources. They look Win-Win, but many negotiators consider them Lose-Lose. Read the rest of “5 Chinese Negotiating Styles” or post a comment

By Ram Deshpande

The People’s Republic of China is already a hub where key players from every industry have – or are likely to have in the near future – a strong presence. Unfortunately, China is also known as a place where unprotected technology is likely to be copied. If a company wants to manufacture – or sell – its products or services in China, it must protect its intellectual property in the country. Although filing patent applications is not a strategy in itself, it is an integral part of any well-developed strategy.

In 2007, the Chinese Patent Office (the State Intellectual Property Office or the SIPO) received a total of 694,153 patent applications, which represents a growth rate of 21.1 percent over the previous year. 245,161 out of the total number of applications were invention patent applications (20-year patents). Read the rest of “Secure your intellectual property in China – Part 1: The Chinese patent system” or post a comment