Partnering for Success: Finding and Working with Chinese Business Partners, Shanghai, 14th November, 2012

Event Description

The EU SME Centre and the China IPR SME Helpdesk are organising a breakfast seminar on how to find and work with Chinese business partners. This seminar will deliver key messages on how to effectively protect your company`s assets in business dealings with China, as well as give an overview of the most important considerations when working with Chinese business partners. The experts from the EU SME Centre and the China IPR SME Helpdesk will provide practical and business-focused advice on doing business in China and will give you the opportunity to:

- Find out more about due diligence when dealing with legal, financial and operational issues
- Learn useful and practical tips on how to protect your business
- Gain insight in what the term ‘trade secrets’ means, and learn how to use them in your relations with (potential) Chinese business partners
- Learn why trade secrets are important to protect your company’s intellectual property
- Get the opportunity to book a private one-on-one consultation session with one of the experts following the seminar to discuss issues you may have in a confidential environment.

Breakfast will be served during the seminar.

Tentative Agenda
08.00 am - 08.30 am Registration and networking
08.30 am - 09.15 am - Introduction to the EU SME Centre
                            - Preliminary due diligence on business partners
                                 Helen Ju, Legal Manager, EU SME Centre
09.15 am - 10.00 am - Introduction to the China IPR SME Helpdesk
                                 - Using Trade Secrets to protect your Intellectual Property with business partners
                                 Beata Suwala, IP Expert, China IPR SME Helpdesk
10.00 am - 10.30 am Q&A Session

One-on-One Consultation Sessions
If you would like to receive confidential One-on-One advice about your business in China, sign up for a free, 20-minute consultation with the experts of the EU SME Centre or the China IPR SME Helpdesk. To ensure you have a chance to meet with the experts, please book your session in advance by indicating your interest when you register. Please specify the nature of your question and the expert you wish to book a session with. The One-on-One consultations are open to European SMEs on a first-come, first-served basis. Any information you provide to the EU SME Centre and the China IPR SME Helpdesk with be treated as confidential.

Speaker Biographies

Helen Ju, Legal Manager, EU SME Centre
Helen is a legal expert at the EU SME Centre providing legal advice on various aspects of economic cooperation between Europe and China to EU SMEs looking to establish themselves in the Chinese market.
Before joining EU SME Centre, Helen worked as a lawyer for over seven years specializing in foreign direct investment, general corporate and commercial laws, and tax law etc. Among others, she provided full legal support to clients from Europe, the US and Singapore, advising on the feasibility of their proposed transaction models and compliance of the models with PRC regulations, issuing legal opinion and advice, and drafting and reviewing legal documents. She also has five years’ experience with an export and import company. Helen has gained broad knowledge and rich experience especially in company law, labour law, contract law, tax law and social insurance law.

Beata Suwala, IP Expert, China IPR SME Helpdesk
Beata is a Polish patent attorney and European trademark attorney.She holds a master degree in law from the University of Warsaw and obtained a LL.M degree in IP Law in Spain. Beata has worked for more than three years in law firms in Poland and in Spain where she dealt with international IP portfolios including IP rights prosecutions, enforcement actions and drafting contracts. Afterwards she joined the European IPR Helpdesk, where she advised on IP and in particular on technology transfer under the European Commission`s funded projects (the 7th Framework Programme and Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme). Beata joined the China IPR SME Helpdesk in June 2011.

Registration and cancellation
China IPR SME Helpdesk events are available to European Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and SME intermediary organisations such as embassies or consulates, chambers of commerce and trade associations only. China IPR SME Helpdesk events are closed to law firms and consultants who offer IPR services. If you meet the criteria and would like to attend please register by emailing rsvp-china@china-iprhelpdesk.eu with the name and date of the event in the subject line and your company information. You will receive a confirmation email. Because places are limited, in the case of unexpected cancellations please inform the Helpdesk as soon as possible.

About the China IPR SME Helpdesk
The China IPR SME Helpdesk provides free information, first-line advice and training to SMEs to protect and enforce their IPR in China. The Helpdesk’s services are free to European SMEs and SME intermediaries (including EU embassies) and includes training events in China and Europe; online tools and materials at www.china-iprhelpdesk.eu and tailored advice from our expert by phone, Email or though the website.

About the EU SME Centre
The EU SME Centre is a support service provider for European SMEs facilitating market access in China. The Centre provides practical information, advice and business tools free of charge, aimed at better equipping SMEs to develop their business and tackle challenges faced in the Chinese market. The online portal www.eusmecentre.org.cn will help SMEs gain a clearer insight into conducting business in China, by offering professional information and confidential advice.