Kiwi Exporters To Reap The Benefits Of The James & Wells South Island Roadshow

Kiwi businesses with their eye on the Chinese market have the chance to access free business advice in their city, as national intellectual property firm James & Wells announce they are embarking on a South Island seminar roadshow.

With the seminars focusing on those businesses which are exporting to Asia, or are thinking about doing so, the James & Wells intellectual property experts want to educate Kiwis on the importance of implementing a sound IP strategy, before entering the Asian market.

 “Far too often we have seen businesses who have leapt into the market unprepared, not protecting their brand early enough or adequately enough”, states Johnathan Chen, head of James & Wells’ Asia Division and one of the facilitators of the seminar.

“We’re seeing situations like trade mark trolls registering New Zealand trademarks that are being applied to goods manufactured in China for export to other countries. Even if the Kiwi company didn’t consider it necessary to own its IP right in China as it never intended to sell its products there, they may run into issues getting their products out of the country”, he says. “We want to make sure Kiwi’s make the most of the opportunities that the Asian market offers; we just need to ensure they are provided with the right knowledge and services to do so effectively”.

The free seminars will address accessing export opportunities in China, strategies to ensure businesses retain ownership and control of their brand in China, IP protection when trading online and protection surrounding potential distributor and manufacturer relationships in China.

The seminar series will run from August through to September, and will see James & Wells partnering with a host of South Island law firms to deliver the presentation in each city. To find out more, visit the James & Wells website at http://www.jaws.co.nz