As a producer of houseware products sold worldwide, Decor Corp continues to strengthen its intellectual property rights in China while raising awareness about patent, trademark and copyright protection, said a top company official.

"For serious infringement we first send a letter from our lawyer notifying the party of Decor's IPR and the infringement, and urge them to stop the act through amicable communication," said Raymond David Gordon, company director.

"If the infringing party refuses to reply or continues the infringing act, we will consider lawsuits to protect our legitimate rights," he said.

Decor sued a Zhejiang-based plastic product manufacturer in 2010 for infringement on its design patents and copyrights. The two sides eventually reached a settlement through the courts.

The defendant paid compensation and acknowledged Decor's design patent rights and copyrights, promised not to produce or sell infringing products in the future and agreed to modify or destroy moulds used in manufacturing.

Founded in 1958 in Australia, Decor has won numerous awards for its designs. It now has 199 design patents in China.

"China's economy is growing really fast and Decor highly values the market," Gordon said.

"We have been paying attention to the market for years and made noticeable progress in maintaining rights - such as tracking and negotiating with infringing parties, sending lawyers to trade fairs and other exhibitions to conduct surveys, and cooperating with administrative authorities in enforcement," he noted.

Production of infringing goods not only causes losses to rightful owners, but also damages consumers, analysts said.

"We will continue to value IPR development and protection, and hope to strengthen communications with Chinese authorities and enterprises to make a contribution to building a fair and sound market environment," Gordon said.

With World Intellectual Property Day set for April 26, the Decor director said the company has reviewed its progress to encourage IPR holders and enterprises to make efforts together to fulfill corporate social responsibility, safeguard intellectual rights and the interests of consumers.

(Source: China Daily)