Saturday, October 27, 2007

USPTO hosts 2-day free seminar 11/7-8/2007 in San Jose re: Protecting against IP theft from China

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will host a free, two-day, seminar for businesses on November 7-8 in San Jose, California, to help them learn about how to protect against intellectual property (IP) theft from China. China was the number one source of counterfeit products seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in 2006, accounting for 81 percent of all seizures.

These two-day intensive seminars include presentations on protecting and enforcing trademarks, patents and copyrights in China, case studies illustrating these principles in practice, and real world stories and practical tips from companies on the frontline of IP rights protection and enforcement in China. USPTO China Road Show/San Jose will highlight copyright issues in China and will include speakers from the International Intellectual Property Alliance, the Art Copyright Coalition, and a practitioner representing U.S. musicians touring in China. The program also will include comprehensive coverage of enforcement strategies against IP theft from China, including presentations by representatives from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). An electronics industry panel and coverage of technology transfer issues will round out this comprehensive program.

The program is for any company that wants to learn about protecting its products from counterfeiting and piracy - even those companies that have no plans to sell or manufacture their products in China. USPTO China Road Show/San Jose is the latest in a series of two-day China IP events that the USPTO is hosting across the country to help educate businesses about the realities of piracy and counterfeiting - which cost the American economy approximately $250 billion annually.

The seminar is free and open to all, but registration is required to attend. For more information and to register, go here.

Nancy