To maintain the exclusive rights to IP, an organization must have the mechanisms in place to guarantee continued protection.

First of all, someone must ensure that registered IP rights maintain their validity. Trademarks are registered for 10 years at a time, thus registrations should be extended before the ending of such a validity period. Failure to do so will result in the loss of all exclusive rights to the trademark …

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Innovation is a word we are hearing a lot more of in China these days. The consensus is that as manufacturing costs in China continue to rise and supply chain complexity increases, so companies have to innovate both to save money and to increase efficiency.

In this story we take a deeper look into what a few companies and individuals in China, both foreign and Chinese are doing to lead the way in service, supplier management, IT implementation, as well as cost and process efficiency. These companies and individuals were all winners of awards at the November 2007 CHaINA Summit.

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By Nannette Ripmeester

Although modern times are catching up quickly within the cities of China, understanding the roots of this ancient and complex culture is essential when doing business there. In part II of ‘doing business in China’ Nannette Ripmeester takes a closer look at some of the cultural nuances your expats in China need to be aware of.

When Dutch Jenny van Baden visited China for a holiday from her expat location in Taiwan she was struck by the fascinating developments in the country. “When you are out of Shanghai for one week, a new building or highway might have popped up in front of your window when you return,” she says.

Although modern times are catching up quickly within the cities of China, “understanding their history is essential to comprehend the Chinese and the way they respond to things.” says van Baden, who works for ASML in Shanghai. Read the rest of “Successful business in China (part II)” or post a comment

The continued pervasiveness of counterfeiting in China is not only a problem of law, but also one of enforcement. While China’s laws and regulations conform to the agreement on trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPS) and other widely accepted international principles, certain parts of China’s protection mechanism have proven ineffective. Common examples are the high standards for criminal liability of counterfeiters, the high burden of evidence to prove bad faith registrations, and the difficulty to prove damages in civil proceedings…

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Tax and regulatory issues

By Nick Debnam & George Svinos, KPMG

The process of importing, distributing and selling luxury goods in China raises further challenges for companies, including a number of difficult questions regarding tax treatment, customs duty, logistics and the transfer of intellectual property.

Customs duty, import VAT and consumption tax can all be charged on luxury goods imported into China. The ability of brands to mark up their goods at dramatic premiums can also prove difficult to explain to tax authorities when the time comes to file income tax returns. Companies producing or trading luxury items need to understand how to avoid unnecessary or overlapping burden of tax and other duties. For example, VAT and business tax should in theory be mutually exclusive, since both are turnover taxes. Read the rest of “Luxury Brands in China: Part V” or post a comment