USPTO Hosts Minnesota Event on Navigating Intellectual Property Protection and Enforcement in China

Business owners engaged in commerce with or within China face significant risks of intellectual property infringement. Even companies not directly operating in China may encounter counterfeit products or unauthorized trademark registrations linked to China, affecting their brand integrity both abroad and domestically.

To address these concerns, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is hosting a free educational program on March 23 in Minnesota. The event aims to equip U.S. rights holders with practical knowledge and strategies for protecting and enforcing their IP in China and the United States.

The program will cover critical topics including the essentials small and medium-sized businesses must understand about safeguarding all types of intellectual property in China. Attendees will also learn about recent developments in China’s IP landscape, highlighting both challenges and emerging opportunities within a shifting regulatory environment.

A key focus will be on enforcement mechanisms available to combat infringement originating in China, with insights on actions enforceable in both Chinese and U.S. jurisdictions.

This Minnesota event is part of the USPTO’s China IP Road Show series, which travels across the country to provide targeted IP guidance. The series is organized in collaboration with the U.S. Commercial Service – Minneapolis, reinforcing the federal government’s commitment to supporting American businesses in global markets.

Featured speakers include Monica McFarlane Scott, Senior International Trade Specialist at the Minneapolis Office of the U.S. Commercial Service, and Michael Mangelson, Principal Counsel and Director for China Intellectual Property at the USPTO’s Office of Policy and International Affairs (OPIA).

The morning session from 9:10 to 9:40 a.m. will focus on "IP developments in China: Challenges and opportunities in a shifting IP environment," presented by Aaron R. Wininger, Director of China Intellectual Property Practice at Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner, alongside Monica McFarlane.

In the afternoon, from 1:50 to 3 p.m., a panel discussion titled "Enforcing IP rights in the U.S. against infringement originating from China" will feature Theresa Stadheim, Attorney and AIPLA Liaison with the Minnesota IP Law Association; Suzanne Schultz, Attorney with the Intellectual Property Enforcement Branch of U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Eric Proudfoot, Supervisory Special Agent at the FBI’s National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center; and Monica McFarlane Scott.

The event is hosted by the USPTO’s Global Intellectual Property Academy, a division of OPIA, which advises the U.S. administration and federal agencies on domestic and international IP legal and policy issues. The Academy also provides technical assistance and training on IP matters to U.S. stakeholders and government officials worldwide.

For additional details on this program and the broader China IP Road Show series, interested parties are encouraged to visit the USPTO’s China IP Road Show homepage.