3 Myths About China’s IP Regime

Abstract

Is China’s intellectual property (IP) regime really all that bad? It has become generally accepted that the ongoing U.S.-China trade war is at least partially in response to Communist China’s practice of forcing technology transfers and its extremely poor protection of IP. But China’s IP regime is not as bad as the ongoing trade war narrative suggests. Instead, I see a paradox in China’s IP regime: while certainly risky in a number of ways, it is often less risky than many Western executives assume. Three myths about China’s IP regime hold back executives considering investments in the country – and the ability to see through these offers much needed nuance when strategizing for the Chinese market.

Keywords: intellectual property, China, myths, US-China trade war