Koelnmesse & Chinese group sign intellectual property memorandum
23 Aug '07
3 min read
Koelnmesse and its Chinese business partners have signed an intellectual property memorandum to send out a clear signal for fair competition at trade fairs and to combat the violation of intellectual property rights for exhibited products.
Koelnmesse President and CEO Herbert Marner signed the memorandum in Beijing in the presence of journalists and representatives of the group organizers that manage the participation of Chinese exhibitors in Cologne.
The memorandum, which is the first of its kind to have been initiated by a major European trade fair company, obliges the group organizers to adhere to German legal regulations and to take active measures to promote the protection of intellectual property rights at trade fairs and to prevent any violations of such rights.
The signing was attended by representatives of around 25 group organizers and more organizers are expected to sign the memorandum in the future. In its key points, the memorandum stipulates that all of the participating companies are to be informed in detail of the situation and that exhibitors affected by property rights violations will receive advice and support in cooperation with lawyers and the German authorities.In addition, the partners to the memorandum will launch a joint media campaign in Germany and China.
Product piracy is one of the chief problems plaguing the international trade fair business today. Violations of intellectual property rights on products and processes are often revealed at trade fairs. In Germany, such violations are considered to be an attack on the affected manufacturers, as they often threaten the companies' future and seriously damage many sectors of industry.
marketing@alchempro.com
