What can U.S. companies do to help protect their intellectual property and trademarks when selling internationally?
LD: This is a reality in global business and always a potential risk and we address this when counseling our companies. Our in-country colleagues are very good about sharing insight on potential IP risks in a market, what preventive steps U.S. companies might take and what to be aware of. The U.S. Commerce Department has also initiated a STOP! Program in partnership with the U.S. Government, the private sector, our trading partners, and law enforcement. We are providing aggressive outreach to educate U.S. companies on how to register and enforce their intellectual property rights in foreign markets such as China. Our U.S. Patent and Trademark Office points out that 85 percent of small and medium-sized businesses that export do not realize their U.S. patents and trademarks do not protect them overseas. The U.S. government offers many programs to educate and train U.S. industry on how to best protect and enforce IP rights in China. We have four such programs you can find on the www.stopf
