This article is a summary of the author's presentation
at the SwissCham Shanghai event of 13 Feb 2014.
The usual perception of intellectual property (IP) enforcement
in China is not a good one. Whereas many have realised that the
laws in China, especially when it comes to IP, are flawless,
actually enforcing the rights granted through these laws is
considered an utter nightmare. This perception, right or wrong,
does not have to influence or even prohibit the establishment and
execution of a reasonable IP strategy. Things are not that bad--it
is just a question of how you look at it.
Yes, there are several horror stories when it comes to IP
enforcement in China. There was the case automobile powerhouse BMW
had against Shuanghuan in which the German company claimed the
Chinese company had completely copied the design of the
former's X5 model. It still doesn't take hours and an
advanced degree in industrial design to side with BMW after a quick
sizing up of the two
