Valuable worldwide

The manufacturers of proprietary goods are more than ever confronted with a difficult task when it comes to protecting their intellectual property in the globalized markets. Often this problem comes clearly to light at trade fairs, especially (but not only) in the Asian region or with Asian participants. Having re­cognised this, fair organisers are now reacting with legal advice for the companies affected. But the situation is changing. In such countries, too, the legal position is gradually adapting to the international standards when it comes to the protection of intellectual property such as brands or patents. Though it is still too early to give the all-clear, according to the latest issue of the Taylor Wessing Global Property Index (GIPI). This study shows that companies in many fast-developing countries and emerging industrial nations can now obtain better protection for their brands, patents, designs and copyrights than was previously the case. Even countries that have had poor ratings till recently are showing some progress. Poland, Russia, China and Mexico have achieved the greatest improvement in the overall rankings. Italy and Spain, too, have made some headway, though they are still far from achieving the legal standards of Germany, for example, from the viewpoint of the companies surveyed. The Chinese government in particular is making efforts to shake off the image of a pirate state, says Dr Thomas Pattloch, IP expert for China in the Munich office of Taylor Wessing and the EU commission’s former representative for intellectual property in the People’s Republic of China. “Chinese companies are now being urged to do more to protect their own patents, brands and copyrights in China.” This is currently ensuring enormously high registration figures in the country. “In a few years China will no longer regard the possession of technology as the most important national business but rather the possession of patent rights,” Pattloch believes. “Chinese companies will then actively apply their patent rights in the global markets as well.” As one consequence of the economic crisis companies are now tending to look more closely at the cost of registration, implementation and defence of patent rights. Germany heads the global field in terms of cost efficiency here. America, on the other hand, ranks even below Russia among the five most expensive countries. The protection of intellectual property is most expensive in India and China. The authors of the…