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On the occasion of his visit to China for the Joint Ministerial Committee and bilateral talks with Chinese Government officials, the European Commissioner for Trade, Peter Mandelson, visited the newly launched EC funded China IPR SME Helpdesk. The China IPR SME Helpdesk is one of a series of support measures to address IPR in China as a top priority and invigorate European industry competitiveness. As China is now the EU’s second-largest trade partner, more and more Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), which represent 99% of all enterprises in the EU and which employ 65 million people, are starting to work with China through export, import or through their involvement in global supply chains.
Joerge Wuttke, EUCCC President in China explains that China remains a challenging market when it comes to IPR protection, in particular for SMEs. ‘‘Unfortunately it is European SMEs who are the least aware of IPR protection, the least prepared when engaging in China business, and the least financed when things go wrong. The good news is that by following some easy to understand, jargon-free practical steps, SMEs can reduce IPR risk and avoid IPR headaches. That’s exactly what the Helpdesk is designed to deliver’’ said Wuttke.
The Helpdesk is located across the EUCCC network of offices in China providing walk-in advice to SMEs. Spearheaded by an online portal www.china-IPRhelpdesk.eu the Helpdesk can reach hundreds of thousands of European SMEs with its practical step-by-step IPR protection guides, while also forging close cooperation with European trade bodies and industry networks to deliver ‘know before you go training’. Moreover, the Helpdesk’s resources and workshops cover areas such as: · dealing with counterfeits
· selling and distributing products
· identifying suppliers or other business partners
· promoting products
· research and development
· IPR issues in relation to licensing
· sourcing products or components from China
· manufacturing in China
The Helpdesk provides a common-sense guide to both practical and legal protection from a hands-on business perspective. The Helpdesk is also enhancing dialogue and cooperation with Chinese institutions, including the government’s national network of IPR complaints centres.
The Helpdesk complements other significant initiatives in the IPR field in China, in particular the “IPR2” project, a co-operation project focusing on enforcement of IPR in China which was officially launched by Commissioner Mandelson in November 2007. This is complemented by the Helpdesk’s practical guides to assist SMEs in the development of business strategies to protect their IP in China.
The Helpdesk is implemented by consortium partners DEVELOPMENT Solutions and the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China.
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