Soon after joining Kolitch Romano’s team as a partner in March 2019, Amber Sun was interviewed by the Oregon State Bar Bulletin for a feature story, “Cross-border Connections: Oregon Lawyers Are Forging Closer Ties with China Despite Trade Tensions.”

As a native Chinese speaker who has practiced law in both Shanghai, China and in the United States, Amber has important insights into the Chinese legal system.

As she explains in the article, “China’s patent system has been evolving and improving. There are some problems with the legal system but there are some mechanisms available to protect IP rights in China. One may bring action against the infringer directly in a court, or request the competent administrative authority to handle the disputes. The double-track is a unique feature of China’s intellectual property right enforcement mechanism.”

In 2016, the United States was second in the world for the number of patent filings. In comparison, China’s patent office received 1.3 million patent applications, more than twice that of the United States. “You can see from the numbers that companies- Chinese companies and foreign companies – and individuals recognize the importance of obtaining IP rights in China,” Amber says.

If you are considering your company’s international IP strategies, you might also be interested in reading this recent blog post, Three All-American Steps to Protect your IP In Foreign Countries. As always, reach out to your attorney or contact us with any questions.

To read the full article in the Oregon Bar Bulletin: Cross-border Connections: Oregon Lawyers Are Forging Closer Ties with China Despite Trade Tensions, By Cliff Collins, April 2018, page 23
https://www.osbar.org/bulletin/issues/2019/2019April/index.html