Recent research from the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, based on a survey of 229 businesses, shows that concerns about IP are no longer the leading worry for businesses trading with China or operating there - as they were two years ago. Greater concerns are now the ‘inconsistent interpretation of regulations and laws in China’, ‘weak dispute settlement mechanisms’ and ‘lengthy and complication certification’. 

Employee training

Some 11 per cent said that they had experience a violation of their IP rights in the last five years. The most common strategies to protect themselves are registering IP (used by 40 per cent of respondents) and signing non-disclosure agreements and contracts (38 per cent). Dr Eva Busza of the Foundation adds: ‘Large enterprises also address IPR [intellectual property rights] issues through employee training while smaller and medium-sized enterprises tend to rely on limiting the access local employees and partners have to technology, and avoiding documentation.’ Source: iPolitics