post Thursday January 3, 2013
As the United States and European countries expand foreign investment into China, India and Brazil, there have been a variety of efforts to promote and encourage this expansion of economic activity. One of the recent efforts has been from the government of the United Kingdom in the form of Intellectual Property Attachés.
It should be clear to any casual observer that the protection of IP has not always been a high priority for countries like Brazil, India and China. There were countless advantages to allowing, either purposefully or unintentionally, the infringement and abuse of IP that originates or is owned by multi-national enterprises (MNE) from outside of the country. Because of this, there has been an increasing backlash from foreign investors. In order to support their countries’ businesses, the Intellectual Property Office(IPO) of the United Kingdom began an initiative to have IP Attachés to some of the countries with developing IP standards and protection.
The IPO Attachés are sent as liaisons to help support and advise the MNEs who originate from the UK. They actively work to build a network with the Intellectual Property offices of Brazil, India and China as well as providing clarity and insight for the UK MNEs on how the IP process and protection functions in the countries where they are conducting business. The expert knowledge of the IPO Attachés can prove to make or break an MNEs entry into one of these developing markets as well as providing long term protection on the investments that are made in these countries.
This program, which originated in December of 2011, started only in China but has expanded to include Brazil and India. The resources of the IPO Attachés has directly impacted the businesses that utilize the resources, but will most certainly provide future benefits to other companies who are considering locating IP or investing in another country in the future. The growing network of IPO Attachés and the improving relationships with other IP officials in foreign countries will surely continue to benefit UK MNEs and potentially other MNEs as well.
Source: UK Intellectual Property Office
Image Source: Free Digital Photos
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