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AEP Online |
Protecting Intellectual Property in the Digital AgeIn today’s digitally linked world, intellectual property is at greater risk than ever. Whether you publish books or supplementary materials on paper or other media, your content is vulnerable to piracy and other types of copyright infringement. In recent months, China has come to the forefront as a particularly risky environment because of its alleged lax approach to enforcing copyright law. According to the Association of American Publishers, losses to U.S. publishers in China were estimated at $52 million in 2006, and CNNMoney.com recently reported that overall counterfeiting and piracy in China costs the U.S. up to $24 billion a year. The reports are true; the threat clearly exists. However, thousands of companies--especially those in smaller, more specialized market segments such as educational publishing--are still finding ways to safely do business in China. Smaller companies tend to go unscathed simply because they are less well-known than giants like Microsoft. But what about the larger firms that continue to have success? They are simply careful about the companies with whom they partner and the details of the deals that are being made, says Michael Ross, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development at Encyclopedia Britannica. Ross's recent book, Publishing Without Boundaries: How to Think, Work, and Win in the Global Marketplace, has a number of tips for taking content overseas. For example, Ross recommends carefully researching potential partners. "A good partner will help you navigate the vagaries of the market and will be able to avoid pitfalls that you may not be able to anticipate," says Ross. "In the end, a relationship that can eliminate or at least dramatically reduce the problems that are unique to a specific market is more important than the specific terms of any written agreement." Ross also recommends being extremely careful with terms and conditions of contracts and agreements. This begins with the procurement of a good intellectual property attorney and preferably ends with a contract that includes copyright and trademark notices and clearly defines the intellectual property. Another good source for tips on international trade is Export.gov, run by the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration. This site covers everything from the definition of intellectual property to international copyright law to obtaining patents, trademarks, and copyrights. Intellectual property protection is a critical area and will remain so for the foreseeable future. As part of our Go Global initiative, AEP will continue to monitor trends and developments and provide information, programming, and other resources to help you protect the content you create. Keep an eye on our regular communications like AEP Online and AEP in a Minute for further information.
Questions, ideas, or in need of more information? Please contact Stacey Pusey at 856-241-7772. |
"U.S.
files piracy complaint against China" "Schroeder
To Congress: Keep Pushing to Stop Piracy" |
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©
2008 The Association of Educational
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