A few weeks ago, I received a call from a prospective client, Mr. X, looking to expand his business and enter the China market. He wanted to know how best to go about forming this new venture. It was obvious he had done his research. Mr. X discussed whether it was best to form a Wholly Foreign Owned Entity (WFOE), Representative Office (RO), Joint Venture (JV) or other … [Read more...]
Supreme Court Limits "Stream of Commerce" Jurisdiction Against Foreign Manufacturers.
Given the globalization of the world economy in the past several decades, there was a huge upswing in the number of products liability lawsuits filed in the U.S. against foreign manufacturers. These foreign defendants were generally subjected to the jurisdiction of U.S. courts under the “stream of commerce” theory articulated in the seminal case Asahi Metal industry. This … [Read more...]
Registering Your Patent in International Markets. Not Always Easy.
Earlier this week I received a call from a prospective client looking to register his intellectual property in several international markets. His call was prompted by a post I wrote several months ago, How Do I Register My Patent, Trademark or Copyright in a Foreign Country? In the post, I presented a general overview of registering your intellectual property overseas. While … [Read more...]