If you have been designing a new product and you plan to have it manufactured in China or another Asian country, when and how should you contact a manufacturer, and what should you do first? … [Read more...]
What to avoid when creating your NNN agreement [Podcast]
In this episode… NNN agreements are important legal tools importers should use to protect their IP. Renaud chats with Adrian about what they are and some of the common errors made with them that could leave you with an unenforceable agreement and no protection at all! First off, though, they kick off by examining the increasing Covid cases and their effect on supply chains in China as of mid-January 2022... Just hit the play button to start listening..! Listen to the episode … [Read more...]
Manufacture in China, Get Your Product Copied? Not That Simple.
There are many examples out there of companies that got in big trouble because of their suppliers in China. In many cases, a supplier got very tempted to start selling the same product on their customer’s market. As a result, people who are designing and developing a new product are often reluctant to plan for manufacturing in China, even when the difference in cost will obviously be massive. … [Read more...]
Is It Beneficial To Be First To Market With Your New Product Idea? [Podcast]
![Is It Beneficial To Get To Market First With Your New Product Idea? [Podcast]](https://qualityinspection.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/IsItBeneficialToGetToMarketFirstWithYourNewProductIdeaPodcast-1140x445.jpeg)
In this episode... A recent China Law Blog article questions the wisdom of rushing out your innovative new made-in-China product in order to 'beat the copycats' to market. While there are some situations where this may have some merit, sacrificing IP protection for speed seldom makes sense as you'll find out in this episode. What are the benefits and are they outweighed by the risks? What should you do to protect IP? When is the 'right time' to go public with your exciting new product and … [Read more...]
Developing a New Product? Think of Information Security Management.
More and more prototyping companies who routinely work for large companies have gotten certified to ISO 27001:2013 (*). If you have been scratching your head about what this standard about information security management entails and what it means for you, let me try and help clarify this topic. Here are three aspects that you probably want to check: … [Read more...]
Exploring Product Development Agreements For Importers [Podcast]
In This Episode... We explore product development agreements that clarify your expectations, protect your IP, keep leverage over your supplier, provide you with transparency and control over your supply chain, and make it 100% clear who is responsible for what when working with a supplier on developing a new product that is going to be manufactured in China or other Asian countries. Just hit the play button to start listening..! Listen to the episode right here 👇👇👇 🎧 Deep … [Read more...]
New Physical Products: Patents Should Come After Market Success
We talk to a startup company developing a new physical (hardware) product at least once a week, and I'd estimate that about 25% of them try hard to secure a patent. I get it. They are afraid of being copied. They know investors and customers will like it. It looks like a wise investment. And, of course, not many lawyers will discourage a patent application, which is -- for good reason -- in their list of the best ways to protect a new product's intellectual property. However, here is … [Read more...]
New Product Development: 12 Tradeoffs Every Hardware Startup Faces
After working with companies that develop their own products for manufacturing here in China, I started to notice a lot of similarities. Every project is different, its challenges are sometimes unique, but the main decision points tend to be the same. (My main focus here is new companies that develop electrical and/or mechanical products based on their own design.) Here are 12 questions you will likely ask yourself. And the pros and cons of each. … [Read more...]
Manufacturing in China can be risky! 10 Examples of China IP Theft
Depending on your product, it may make a lot of sense to manufacture in China (for example, for complex products that need to be developed fast). But the risks of China IP theft haven't gone away. I wanted to share a few examples here. As many manufacturers there start to feel the pinch due to orders slowing down, as their customers tighten their belts during the global coronavirus pandemic, it's only likely to get worse as some unscrupulous characters try to make a quick buck out of unwary … [Read more...]
How to Protect against Copies when you Manufacture in China
For certain types of products (electrical, plastic injection etc.) Chinese manufacturers are often the best source. Production can be performed with relatively high quality and a relatively low cost. However, one of China's major weaknesses is its lack of respect of intellectual property rights. It means many importers have to face a challenge: the emergence of copies of their proprietary products. I made a list of strategies and tactics that should help you reduce this risk. 1. What to … [Read more...]