Electronic Retailer - June 2012 - 10

INDUSTRY REPORTS

2012 Hong Kong Seminar Opens the Door to Business in Asia

HONG KONG – The 2012 ERA Hong Kong Seminar – “Building Business in Asia” – was held April 20 in conjunction with the HKTDC Hong Kong Houseware Fair. A twist on previous ERA Asia Committee receptions in Hong Kong, the all-day seminar aimed at bringing ERA members together to meet and discuss potential business partnerships and learn about how to do business in Asia and protect business interests by working smarter with China. More than 50 attendees registered for this year’s event, which drew a more international crowd than in years past. The day started off with a casual group breakfast, where attendees were able to network and socialize. The first speaker of the day was Robert Roche, founder of Oak Lawn Marketing, Inc. in Japan and Acorn International in China. Roche gave a presentation on the pitfalls and obstacles of doing business in China. Logistics, conformance, staffing and media were all touched on in this very frank and informative session. After Roche’s presentation, attendees were treated to a Cantonese-style lunch. The second speaker of the day was David Ho, legal counsel with Alibaba.com Ltd., who presented “Takedown Procedures at Alibaba.com.” Alibaba is known throughout the world as an international trade window into China and a valuable sourcing tool. However, Alibaba, which has opened up 10

the world to smaller Chinese manufacturers and trading companies with its community of free and paid accounts, has also become a world bazaar for copycats, knockoffs and counterfeits. Ho very carefully walked through the tools available and the process necessary for IP owners to open disputes, upload evidence and remove fraudulent advertisers from the site. Ho expressed a sincere desire and willingness to work with ERA members in the protection of their products. The final presentation of the day was a panel discussion about counterfeiting in China titled “Culture of Shanzhai: Counterfeiting & IP.” Panel members, who had a combined 80 years of experience in DRTV and IP protection, were Joseph Simone, partner at Baker & McKenzie Intellectual Property Practice

Group; Crystal Loh of Hill & Associates China; Edouard Schmitt, managing partner at Schmitt Zur Hohe & Ferrante Intellectual Property; and Roger Colaizzi, partner at Venable LLP. The panel discussed issues ranging from the counterfeiting culture of China and the motivations and minds of the shanzhai – the bandits who counterfeit goods – to complex protection strategies for IP and how to work with the Chinese government, private agencies and international law firms to protect your product. The 2012 ERA Hong Kong Seminar was a great success thanks to the hard work of the Asia Committee Chairman Scott Reid and Vice Chairman Masaki Hino, in cooperation with ERA and with the support of the HKTDC. – Jonathan Gregory

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Electronic Retailer - June 2012

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