Beijing Seminar to Focus on Intellectual Property Protection; SIA Says Strong IP Protection Essential to China's Economic Growth.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Leaders of industry, government, and academia from China and the United States will participate in a seminar next Tuesday, November 16, focused on improving intellectual property protection in China, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) announced today. The seminar will be held in Beijing, China.

"Significantly strengthening China's intellectual property regime is essential to economic growth, especially in high-tech industries," said SIA President George Scalise. "Foreign and Chinese firms are more likely to invest in research, new plants and design centers in China if they are assured of adequate protection of their intellectual property rights. Without better IP protection, new investment will likely go elsewhere."

Scalise noted that the US and China agree on the importance of better IP protection. "The real issues are how to improve enforcement of existing laws, assure that the penalties for IP infringement deter future violations, and achieve broader public awareness of the importance of IP protection to economic development. The IP Protection Seminar will bring together leaders of government, industry, and academia from both the US and China to exchange ideas and information on strengthening IP protection."

The seminar will concentrate on intellectual property protection issues in the semiconductor industry. "The IP content of semiconductors accounts for virtually all of their value," said Scalise. "Innovative designs and process technology provide nearly all of the added value in semiconductor devices. It is impossible to have a healthy and competitive semiconductor industry without effective protection of intellectual property rights."

Scalise noted that the disaggregation of semiconductor manufacturing -- with different firms creating value all along the production chain -- raises new challenges in IP enforcement. "Effective protection of intellectual property rights will require cooperation among semiconductor design firms, foundries, and governmental agencies. We will offer a number of specific recommendations for improving IP protection at the seminar, and we are looking forward to learning about the actions that China has taken to improve IP protection," Scalise concluded.

The one-day seminar at the Great Wall Sheraton Hotel in Beijing will feature presentations on the importance of IP protection to economic development, IP protection obligations under international trading agreements, IP protection issues faced by semiconductor companies doing business in China, the World Semiconductor Council's position on layout design protection, and enforcement issues. All aspects of semiconductor IP -- patents, copyrights, trademarks, layout designs, and trade secrets -- will be discussed.

Participants in the seminar will include semiconductor associations, government authorities with responsibility for IP protection or semiconductor industry issues, Chinese semiconductor companies, and major semiconductor users.

About the SIA

The SIA is the leading voice for the semiconductor industry and has represented U.S. semiconductor companies since 1977. Collectively, the chip industry employs a domestic workforce of 255,000 people. More information about the SIA can be found at www.sia-online.org.