27.11.2018
November 27, 2018
Finnish companies of all sizes and fields now require diverse information on the Chinese IP. When business operations expand to that direction, or there are business partners in China, the entire wide scope of IP opens up in a new way. This is how our cooperation partners describe their current challenges related to China.
Registration nuts to crack
Nina Pere, Vice President, Strategic Planning, BMH Technology Oy
- What sort of budding IP trends have you noticed in your work?
As known, in China a trademark needs to be registered at a very early stage to avoid its hijacking. However, it is at times challenging to anticipate which trademarks and patents would be worth registering there. This is the problem that we have tried to tackle lately. We have also been pondering whether it is possible for a small company to do profitable business by licensing its technology and whether such a business model has a solid basis in China.
- What is interesting in the Chinese IP at the moment?
Issues relating to trademarks are always of interest, and we have successfully registered trademarks in China, too. There are also the occasional IP violations to deal with. Our patent, for example, has been violated in China. Such a view is predominant that over there the starting point is to protect their own local party and local manufacture.
- Which way do you think IP will develop in your field?
Without a good IP partner, a small of medium size company just cannot operate. We can acquire a comprehensive protection, but will not be able ourselves to monitor infringements continuously. Our own capacity to keep on eye on infringements and the developments in the patenting world is limited, so a reliable partner is most important.
IP related to 3D now topical
Tuomo Anttila, Manager, Intellectual Property Rights, Metso
- What sort of budding IP trends have you noticed in your work?
3D printing has been a talking point recently. We are ourselves actively experimenting in how 3D printing makes new type of innovations possible. This will probably change the character of copying products and the entire chain of operation. In addition, it probably also affects how we handle IP issues.
- What is interesting in the Chinese IP at the moment?
We have product development operations in China and have just launched a global new employee invention regulation. That is why it is currently of particular interest how it will be applied in China.
- Which way do you think IP will develop in your field?
The emphasis on China and Asia naturally brings along new types of challenges, such as those from the viewpoint of operational freedom and competitor monitoring. Consequently, our area of operation has changed to some extent. However, I can’t foresee huge and radical changes, but instead continuous and natural development.
Proactivity important in IP
Stig-Erik Bruun, Development manager, Chemigate
- What sort of budding IP trends have you noticed in your work?
You should not neglect China or trademark registrations. Operating on the Chinese market, patenting, as well as protection and registration of trademarks are particularly important, so they are the trends worth noting.
- What is interesting in the Chinese IP at the moment?
According to Kolster, the Chinese state management encourages Chinese companies to initiate exporting efforts. When Chinese companies enter the world market, global intellectual property rights concern them, too, and the budding interest in matters relating to IP will be further boosted. In China, too, the goal is to retain the rights of domestic companies.
- Which way do you think IP will develop in your field?
It is of utmost importance to keep up with development, take into account IP changes all over the world, and to be proactive. Awareness of the changing environment has become more and more important. There must be a dedicated budget for IP matters, and corporate IP operations must be systematic when products, production, and operation in global markets are planned.
Development brings about inventions
Jussi Salo, Patent Officer, Specialist, ABB Oy Motors & Generators
- What sort of budding IP trends have you noticed in your work?
IoT is a topical matter, and a strategic development target for us at Digital ABB. These days the goal is to digitize conventional industrial products, too, and to add to their connectivity and usability in communications networks. Development brings about inventions! We, too, have just filed two software patent applications.
- What is interesting in the Chinese IP at the moment?
System development: The Chinese also want to expand outside the borders of their country, wish to increase the degree of processing, and to boost quality and innovations. That is why they also demand IP matters to be managed with quality. The Chinese judicial system is becoming more and more predictive, because courts specializing in IP guarantee unbiased justice for western companies, too. China is moving towards western practises, and it shows.
3. Which way do you think IP will develop in your field?
Changes are taking place globally. For example, the practise in the United States is now moving closer to the rest of the world. The United States is almost the only country accepting software patents in the raw. For the above reason, they are of very low quality. As the European Patent Office, EPO, is gradually furthering the patentability of information technology, the practises are slowly converging - hopefully in a healthy manner.
How can minor ones cope in the major markets?
Kimmo Jyllilä, Chairman of the Board, Serres Group Oy
- What sort of budding IP trends have you noticed in your work?
In my work at the management level it is easy to see how the significance of IP is on the rise. The direction we now take is utilizing our existing IP rights intelligently. It is important to operate in a technically correct manner, but also essential are acquiring good expertise and making commercially sensible solutions.
- What is interesting in the Chinese IP at the moment?
It is not impossible to protect IP rights on the Chinese market. We have some sales going on in China and thus goals of expanding. Along with many others, we have considered protection of IP rights in China difficult and to some extent impossible, but Kolster’s experts have convinced us on how the brand and trademarks can be efficiently protected there, led by professionals in the field.
- Which way do you think IP will develop in your field?
Our production and product development are located in Finland, far away from the markets. So, how to protect expertise so comprehensively that it can be defended on the global market. Applying for patents and registrations are important, but we are giving more and more though to the defending possibilities of a smaller actor on a big market.
