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Intellectual
property protection |
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IP protection Surveillance and investigation |
China is renowned
not only as the world’s manufacturing centre, but as the global capital of
counterfeiting. We see fake products
ranging from soft drinks to luxury cars.
As a manufacturer, it is essential that you do everything possible to
protect your intellectual property, and the reputation of your brand. Chinese manufacturers also regularly
produce goods which are confusingly similar to well-known brand-name
products. |
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Sinogie’s
team of investigation experts can work with you at every stage of the
investigation process, from identifying infringers to arranging trap
purchases, to organising raids on counterfeiting companies. Sinogie
works on intellectual property issues including trademark protection,
copyright protection, counterfeiting, patent protection, and dealing with
confusingly-similar products. |
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If
you suspect that your product is being counterfeited in China, we can work to
identify the manufacturer of the counterfeiters. |
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Once
we have identified the counterfeiter, or if you already have an idea who the
counterfeiter is, we can conduct in-depth research into the target
company. Searches
of government records will allow us to establish whether the target is a legally-established
company. This lets us identify whether
action should be taken against a company, individual people, or both. If the target is a company, we can conduct
a company search to identify the owners
of the company, and to provide you with information on the targets’
manufacturing capability, its assets, and its financial situation. |
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We
then typically pose as potential customers of the infringing company. This allows us to visit the target’s office
and factory, and identify where infringing products are manufactured and
stored. We can also examine the target
company’s manufacturing capabilities, discuss the company’s target markets
and sales and marketing techniques, and collect other evidence relevant to the
case. At this stage, we also often
collect samples of the counterfeit products.
In some cases, it is then necessary to arrange a trap purchase. While
the investigation continues, we can also arrange covert surveillance
of the target company, and of the individuals involved in the
counterfeiting. In many cases, we can
also check targets’ telephone records.
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Through
our partnership with a Chinese law firm, we then work with the relevant Chinese
authorities to arrange for a raid of the target company’s premises. Depending on the severity of the case, this
can lead to anything from the authorities seizing the fake products through
to the counterfeiters being fined or having their factories closed down, or
to the counterfeiters being arrested. |
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Confusingly similar products Our
IP protection work does not only involve anti-counterfeiting projects. We also assist clients in identifying and taking
action against manufacturers of products which are “confusingly similar” to
their own brands in their use of brand names, packaging or promotion. Our
research into manufacturers of confusingly similar products brings together
our skills in conducting company searches,
market research, and industry research. A project can typically include background
reports on the manufacturer; the amount of the infringing product that the
company is producing; the history of the product; information on the
company’s advertising and promotion; surveys of consumer awareness of our
client’s product and the infringing product; and information on the
infringing company’s sales, distribution and market penetration. |
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For more information on
how Sinogie can help you protect your intellectual property, please e-mail us, or call our Sydney sales office on +61 2 8705 5435. |
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