Press Release

Commerce Department Launches China IPR Advisory Program

Commerce Teams Up with ABA, NAM, and American Chamber of Commerce to Help Businesses Protect Their Intellectual Property Rights

WASHINGTON—U.S Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez today announced a new China Intellectual Property Rights Advisory Program that will allow U.S. small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to request free, one-hour consultations with an experienced volunteer attorney to learn how to protect and enforce intellectual property rights (IPR), such as trademarks, patents or copyrights, in China.

Gutierrez announced the new program, developed in coordination with the American Bar Association, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the American Chamber of Commerce in China, today during remarks delivered to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Anti-Counterfeiting and Piracy Summit

“IP-based businesses are the largest sector of the U.S. economy and IP-based industries must be able to protect their ideas in order to protect their livelihood.” Gutierrez said. “Our goal is clear: This Administration is committed to stopping trade in pirated and counterfeit goods. We can’t allow the creation of a world environment where patents and trademarks and copyrights don't mean anything.”

In addition to providing U.S. businesses with free, expert guidance on how to protect their intellectual property in China, this program also seeks to:

• Help American businesses understand the steps they must take to develop an intellectual property protection strategy for the Chinese market;
• Help U.S. companies facing China-related IPR disputes pursue resolution to their problems; and
• Reinforce the message that it is essential for U.S. companies to take action to protect and enforce their IPR in accordance with China’s civil, administrative and criminal laws, and that failing to act can have devastating consequences for future business.
• This program builds on the initiatives Gutierrez announced on September 21, 2005 that also strengthen global IPR protection and enforcement.

Information on how to use the SME China IPR Advisory Program is located on U.S. Department of Commerce websites: www.export.gov/China and www.Stopfakes.gov.

The Department of Commerce also offers a broader legal advisory outreach program for export operations. Volunteer attorneys through the Export Legal Assistance Network (ELAN) provide U.S. businesses with legal advice on initiating export operations. Created through a cooperative agreement among the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the Federal Bar Association, ELAN allows an SME to consult with an international trade attorney from the Federal Bar Association regarding e xport-related legal issues. To contact an ELAN international trade attorney, please call (202) 778-3080. For further information on the ELAN program, please visit its website at www.export-legal-assistance.org.