Client's question - What steps should we take to ensure that the customs in China protect our design rights? Can you do this?

Answer: We think there are two steps necessary:

1. First you need to register the copyright of your design in a related Chinese authority, to get a Chinese certificate of copyright. We all knows that for copyright, it's a right which came into being when the artwork created, so registration or filing is not a pre-condition to validity of this right; but still we need to file / reigster it here, if we want to seek the protection of Chinese Customs, because Chinese customers will need you to certify it that you own this right, just like you own the right of trademark, or patent, when the best certificate here, is a filing or registration certificate.

2. And then using the certificate of copyright, you can register /back-up your copyright in China Customs, and requesting their protections. If succeed, when Chinese customs find someone pirated your design, they will seize the pirated products.

As a background knowledge, China Customs can protect all types of intellectual property rights, copyright, trademark, and patents.

Yes we can do it.