CCBC’s six-part China Ready series of webinars is designed to provide guidance and expert advice to companies interested in exporting to China. The fifth in the series, IP in China 2020 – No longer a barrier to taking on the China market, offered insights on China’s improving legal system and protection of intellectual property. Toronto-based law firm Jones & Co. has been litigating to protect the intellectual property rights of clients in the Greater China Region for over a decade and has real experience of the progress that has been made. In this presentation, Paul Jones, Founder of Jones & Co., introduced attendees to the structure of the PRC legal system as it applies to intellectual property, such as trademarks, copyrights, industrial designs, patents and trade secrets, and how businesses can use it to assess and reduce their risks when entering the market. Paul reviewed recent cases handled by his firm, showing that it is possible to track down counterfeiters, and that the courts do respond to well-presented evidence.

Participants who complete this six-part series will receive an official CCBC China Ready Certificate.

Presented by

About the speaker:

Paul Jones

Founder, Jones & Co.

Paul Jones is the founder of Jones & Co., a boutique law firm specializing in intellectual property, technology licensing, franchising, distribution, e-commerce and competition issues. Based in Toronto, Canada, Paul’s practice is international, with a particular focus on China, Southeast Asia and Russia. He is particularly known for his experience with litigating in China and successful track record for enforcing intellectual property rights in the Chinese courts.

Paul acts for international franchisors, manufacturers, technology companies and distributors who do business in China and Southeast Asia. Paul regularly advises clients from the U.S., Canada, Europe and South America on the protection of trademarks and other intellectual property in China, including IP disputes and counterfeiting. Paul’s team has a broad experience in trademark filing, oppositions and appeals in China, as well as in trademark infringement matters and litigation in the Chinese courts. Paul helps his clients to develop a strategy for intellectual property protection in Southeast Asia region and defend the brand from counterfeiting and infringement activities.

Paul regularly speaks and writes on Chinese intellectual property issues. His article on the protection of Chinese character trademarks was selected by the Director General of the Republic of China (Taipei) Intellectual Property Office for teaching material. He has also been part of American Bar Association task groups reviewing proposed amendments to 专利法 (Patent Law) and 商标法 (Trademarks Law) of the People’s Republic of China. In 2012 Paul was invited to present a seminar on “Trade Secret Protection in China” as part of an internal training program for senior U.S. government officials in Washington DC. He has also been an invited speaker at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce seminar on China’s National IP Strategy and is the expert on franchising in China for the International Distribution Institute based in Turin, Italy. Going the other way, he has advised the Chinese Ministry of Commerce on franchising and held IP seminars for the Ministry of Science and Technology, China’s space agency and a couple of science parks.

His Russia practice includes assisting clients on trademark protection and infringement matters, technology licensing, and distribution arrangements under the Anti-Monopoly Law in the Russian Federation. He moderated a seminar for the American Bar Association on Russian IP Laws and Commercialization, and presented at seminars in Toronto for Technopol – Moscow and Licensing Executives Society on IP commercialization in Russia. More recently he has been a speaker at a IP conference in St. Petersburg Russia in 2018 and 2019.

Paul is familiar with both common law and civil law systems and jurisprudence. He has studied French, Spanish, German, Russian and Mandarin Chinese. Paul has been a long-time member of the CCBC.

This introductory six-part series is for those considering China for trade diversification or who are curious but not sure where to start. The six modules in the series cover a range of topics related to doing business in China – conclusion of all six will leave participants ready to consider their next steps. As China enters a phase of ‘rebound spending’ post lockdown, the timing has never been better to seize the potential in this massive consumer market.

Webinar Sessions:

• July 22: China Demystified—10 myth busters about doing business in China
• July 29: Chinese Business Culture and Gift Giving—Better understand your interactions with Chinese counterparts
• August 5: Getting Your Product Certified and China Ready—Simplifying the import license and compliance process
• August 12: A Guide to Exporting to China
• August 20: IP in China 2020—No longer a barrier to taking on the China market
• August 26: E-Commerce 201—Selling your product in China without having to jump on a plane

This session was free of charge for CCBC members in good standing, C$25+HST for non-members.