UTec Shares its Insights on Intellectual Property with Visitors of RemaxAsia Expo
(PRWEB) October 27, 2013 -- Union Technology International (MCO) Co. Ltd. (“UTec”), global master distributor of Print-Rite imaging products, is delighted to announce the successful conclusion of its seminar “Only the IP Believers Survive” which was held during RemaxAsia Expo in Zhuhai China in October 2013.
As a pioneer of innovation in aftermarket printer consumables, UTec has a mission to promote higher awareness of and respect for intellectual property (“IP”) in the industry. On 18th October, 2013, UTec hosted a seminar on IP and invited visitors of RemaxAsia Expo to attend. Among the speakers of the seminar were industry experts and attorneys, namely Mr. Charles Brewer, President of Actionable Intelligence, Mr. Steven Adkins, Partner at Allen & Overy LLP, USA and Mr. Simon Raynor, Partner at Urquhart-Dykes & Lord LLP, UK, who shared their valuable insights on IP related to aftermarket printer consumables.
Mr. Arnald Ho, Managing Director of UTec and Chairman of Print-Rite Holdings Ltd, opened the seminar with a presentation on Print-Rite’s IP mission and strategy. “Patent is a strategic tool to sustain growth in the aftermarket industry,” said Mr. Ho. Since 1996 Print-Rite has invested heavily into IP building up a large portfolio of proprietary technology and products and contributing to a large holding of registered patents which exceeds 2,100 as of October 2013.
Original printer makers have become more aggressive worldwide in pursuing infringing products, a message delivered by Mr. Brewer in his analysis “IP lawsuits are changing the playing field”. The economic recession and increasing spread of infringing products are hurting OEM’s consumable revenue and profit. OEM reacted with more aggressive legal actions. The number of ITC 337 investigations in the USA hit a record high and some major lawsuits between OEM and aftermarket were also reported in Europe and other parts of the world.
Mr. Adkins, trial lawyer specializing in USITC 337 investigations, shared his experience in handling ITC 337 cases and explained in details the options available for importers of products affected by a General Exclusion Order (“GEO”), a subject of great interest to the aftermarket after Canon was awarded a GEO by ITC earlier in 2013. “The only way to minimize risk is to sell only non-infringing products and buy from IP-aware manufacturers,” said Mr. Adkins. He further mentioned that the clearance UTec had obtained for its NoTwistTM gear in relation to the patents of the Canon GEO is the strongest he has even seen in his history of handling 337 investigations.
Mr. Raynor gave a general introduction on patents and how to minimize the risk of infringement, illustrated by reference to the design of UTec products compared to that of the original cartridges. ”It is difficult for a reseller to tell whether a product is infringing or not and it would be impractical to hire your own lawyer to review each and every product that your purchase. My suggestion is that you should always buy from IP-aware manufacturers as a way to minimize patent infringement risk,” a final remark gave by Mr. Raynor.
UTec can be found on:
Alibaba: http://union-tec.en.alibaba.com/
Global Sources: http://www.globalsources.com/utec.co
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/union-technology-international-mco-company-limited
About UTec
UTec is a global supplier of high quality printer consumables and offers an extensive range of remanufactured and compatible products for use in laser printers, multifunction machines, copiers, inkjet printers and dot matrix printers. We are at the forefront of innovation with strong capability in R&D and a portfolio of over 2100 registered patents. For more information, please visit http://www.union-tec.com.
Anthony Huen, Union Technology International (MCO) Co., Ltd., http://www.union-tec.com, (853) 28715020, [email protected]
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