The People's Republic of China (PRC) has been among the top destinations for Utah exports in recent years. But business owners doing business in or with the PRC may find their valuable intellectual property (IP) is being infringed there. Even businesses not operating in the PRC may find counterfeit versions of their products for sale in the PRC or the United States, or their trademarks registered in the PRC without their knowledge.
Experts from the U.S. government, IP attorneys, and local business people shared their insights on how U.S. rights holders can protect and enforce their IP in the PRC and the United States.
Topics included:
- What small and medium-sized businesses need to know about protecting all types of IP in the PRC
- IP developments in the PRC: Challenges and opportunities in a shifting IP environment
- Enforcing IP rights, in both the PRC and the United States, against infringement originating in the PRC
- U.S. government resources for U.S. companies
- IP and the PRC: The Utah experience
Utah business owners who are new to conducting business in or with the PRC benefited from this program, which covered the basic knowledge needed to develop an IP strategy.
Please note that this is an in-person program only; there is no virtual attendance option.
This program was organized by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)'s Office of Policy and International Affairs and Rocky Mountain Regional Outreach Office, in collaboration with S.J. Quinney College of Law and the J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, and the U.S. Commercial Service Utah Office. It is one of a series of road shows that the USPTO conducts across the country. For more information about the series, visit the Road Show webpage.
Agenda
All times are in Mountain Time.
Agenda subject to change
8 - 8:30 a.m. — Registration
8:30 - 8:50 a.m. — Opening remarks
- Dr. Erin Rothwell, Vice President for Research, University of Utah
- Shelby Daiek, Director, U.S. Commercial Service, Salt Lake City, Utah
- Conrad Wong, Senior Attorney, China Team, Office of Policy and International Affairs (OPIA), USPTO, Alexandria, Virginia
8:50 - 9:10 a.m. — IP developments in the PRC: Challenges and opportunities in a shifting IP environment
- Michael Mangelson, Intellectual Property Counselor, USPTO, U.S. Embassy, Beijing, the PRC
9:10 - 10:20 a.m. — Topic 1: Securing intellectual property rights in the PRC
- Moderator: Michael Mangelson, Intellectual Property Counselor, USPTO, U.S. Embassy, Beijing, the PRC
- Speakers:
- Thomas T. Moga, Member, Dykema, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
- Jerry Xia, Partner & Counsel, GEN Law, Irvine, California
- Amy Hsiao, Managing Partner, Eligon IP, Atlanta, Georgia
10:20 - 10:30 a.m. — Coffee and tea break
10:30 - 11:40 a.m. — Topic 2: IP Enforcement and e-commerce in the PRC
- Moderator: Conrad Wong, Senior Attorney, USPTO
- Speakers:
- Thomas T. Moga, Member, Dykema
- Jerry Xia, Partner & Counsel, GEN Law
- Amy Hsiao, Managing Partner, Eligon IP
- Xinghao Wang, Global Enforcement, Alibaba Group
11:40 a.m. - noon — Keynote speech
- Honorable David G. Campbell, Senior Judge, United States District Court for the District of Arizona
Noon - 1 p.m. — Network lunch
- Lunch presentations: U.S. government and other resources to help U.S. businesses
- Conrad Wong, Senior Attorney, USPTO
- Shelby Daiek, Director, U.S. Commercial Service, Salt Lake City, Utah
1 - 2:15 p.m. — Topic 3: Border and criminal IP rights enforcement in the United States
- Moderator: Conrad Wong, Senior Attorney, USPTO
- Speakers:
- Morgan McPherson, Intellectual Property Enforcement Branch, Regulations and Rulings, Office of Trade, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Washington, D.C.
- Special Agent Byron Militello, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Des Moines, Iowa
2:15 - 2:25 p.m. — Coffee and tea break
2:25 - 2:50 p.m. — Topic 4: U.S. export controls and their effects on U.S. rights holders
- Grant Leach, Partner, Husch Blackwell, Omaha, Nebraska
2:50 - 4:05 p.m. — Topic 5: Rewards and challenges in doing business in the PRC: The Utah experience
- Moderator: Michael Mangelson, Intellectual Property Counselor, USPTO, U.S. Embassy, Beijing, the PRC
- Speakers:
- Timothy B. Schade, General Counsel, Lifetime Products, Inc., Clearfield
- Daniel Mabey, Asia President, United Natural Products Alliance, Salt Lake City
- B.C. Moore, Director, Global Intellectual Property, Illumina, Inc., Salt Lake City
- Jorge Contreras, Professor of Law, S.J Quinney College of Law, University of Utah, Salt Lake City
- Banny Wang, U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC), Washington, D.C.
4:05 - 4:14 p.m. — Closing remarks
- Mollybeth (Molly) Kocialski, Director of the Rocky Mountain Regional Outreach Office, USPTO, Denver, Colorado
4:15 p.m. — Adjourn
Additional information
For more information, visit the registration page or email nadine.herbert@uspto.gov in the USPTO’s Office of Policy and International Affairs (OPIA).
This program is hosted by the USPTO’s Global Intellectual Property Academy, a unit of the OPIA. The office advises the administration and other federal government departments and agencies on domestic and international IP legal and policy issues. It also provides technical assistance and training on IP-related matters to U.S. stakeholders and both U.S. and foreign government officials.
Accessibility accommodation
If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request a reasonable accommodation, please submit your request to the contact information listed above.
Continuing Legal Education (CLE)
Utah CLE credit hours approval pending.
If a state is not listed, contact your state CLE authority to see if you can obtain credit in your state