Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) in China: considerations on IP theft through the analysis of cases of litigation

Abstract

In my thesis, I will explain the concept of IP and the difference of protection between East and West, focusing on the existing casuistry on the matter, through the analysis of data concerning IP litigations and applications in China and in Europe. The topic is relevant because IPRs are, possibly, the most valuable asset for a business, as they can be financially exploited. Therefore, it is critical for a business to be aware of the different forms of IP and protection. My work will focus on the analysis of data collected form international databases such as World Intellectual Property Office and European Intellectual Property Office, together with data coming from some of the reports of the Supreme Court of the People’s Republic of China. To be more specific, the first chapter of my thesis will outline the concepts of IP, IPRs and their protection, based on the international academic literature. I will define the main types of IPRs and their main features, in order to provide a general framework which will be useful for the following part of my work. In the second chapter, I will provide an explanation on the differences of IPRs enforcement by using and interpreting the data I collected during my research, which will also provide evidence of the increasing importance of IPRs. This will help to outline the main differences in protection and enforcement of IPRs between China and the rest of the world. The third chapter will provide an analysis and a comparison of the data collected during the research. I will use data from both European and Chinese databases, mostly focusing on the Chinese evidence. In the conclusion, I will sum up all the data and evidence as to make sense of the research that I conduced and to give a concrete meaning to the content of this final elaborate.