IuPDI Seminar on Safeguard Business with IP and Brand Protection

The Seminar entitled "Safeguard business with Intellectual Property and Brand Protection" was organized by International union of Professional Development Institutions (IuPDI) and Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management (SEEM) of CityU on 12 Nov 2016.  The Hong Kong Society for Quality (HKSQ), CMA Testing and Certification Laboratories (CMA-TCL), Chartered Quality Institute – Hong Kong Branch (CQI-HK) and CityU Engineering Doctorate Society (CityU EngDS) were supporting organizations. The seminar aimed to introduce IP as a key asset to create value for a business and Brand Assurance.  In the beginning, Dr. KS Chin (SEEM, CityU) gave a welcome speech.  He told us IP was a hot topic which included product and process.   And manufacturing industry needed to be OBM and no longer for OEM.

The first speaker was Dr. TW Liu (Vice-President of CityU EngD Society) and his topic named “Intellectual Property (IP) as a Key Asset to Create Value for a Business”.  In his talk, he would like to introduce some rules to turn your idea into an invention and suggested IP practices for enterprises in HK, as well as, IP game simulation.

Firstly, he introduced three calculators for a new way of thinking and they were “Me-too Calculator”, “Think-differently Calculator” and “Power-set Calculator”.  

Then Dr. Liu used the existing light fan as example to explain the IP claim.

Dr. Liu also showed us how to describe the structure and function of your new idea to be IP claim.  Then layer translated your claim into legal document as follows:

1.      An air fan comprising of a motor, a plurality of blades, and a plurality of LED light sources; is characterized in that a motor having a pluralit of blades thereon, a plurality of blades having a plurality of LED light sources thereon, and a plurality of light sources being attached on a plurality of blades

2.      A method for operating an air fan comprising the operating steps of rotating the axle, circulating the air and emitting the light; is characterized in that rotating an axle producing the effect of circulating the air, circulating the air caused by rotating an axle, and emitting the light depending on rotating an axle.

After that Dr. Liu explained a Patent Commercialization Model to us. 

1.      Identify the commercialized zone

2.      Set the value added, not the price

3.      Success depends on your ambitions

4.      Identify the main competition areas

5.      Count your patents within the market

6.      Beware of barriers to entry

7.      Always on alert of the weak areas

8.      Use patents against competitors

At the end, Dr. Liu introduced IP Simulation game to us (UK product).

Mr. Leslie Lee (Chairman, IuPDI; Secretary and Honorary Chairman, CQI-HK) was the second speaker and his topic entitled “Protecting the Company’s Brand(s)”.  Before the talk, Mr. Leslie Lee briefed about IuPDI which was a Research and Application Institution formed by a group of professionals and academics.  IuPDI aimed to assist businesses to enhance their competitive advantages and business results.  

Then Leslie mentioned different values of brands and their benefits such as Easy Recognition, Easier to promote and advertise, Image of value for money, Image of Reliability and Customers Loyalty, etc.

Leslie also discussed the protection of the Company’s Brand(s) through the system model included Awareness, Identification & Elimination, Managing Incident and Recovering.  

Stage 1: Awareness training on “Protecting the Brand” (e.g. Samsung and Toyota Product Safety)

Protection against Negative Publicity (e.g. Beckham vs Tiger)

1.      Product safety and service quality

2.      Scandals

3.      Pressure groups

4.      Individual protest (through social media)

5.      Prank through media

6.      Self-inflicted

7.      Poor business results

8.      Wrongly accused

Stage 2: Identification and Elimination of Potential Incidents

There were three types of Risks and they were “Known Risks”, “Emerging Risks” and “Black Swan Risks”. 

Stage 3: Managing Incident (What to do and not to do)

-          Don’t panic and turn incident into opportunity!

-          Interests of the customer first

-          Answerable to the Media

Stage 4: Recover the Brand

-          Brand evaluation assessment through customer survey, market survey, sales performance and trend

Stage 5: System to Protect the Company’s Brand(s)

-          Brand Protection Team

-          Internal Contacts

-          Training Needs and Plan

-          Brand Protection Guideline

-          List of Potential Incidents Identified

-          Preventive Actions of Incidents

-          Managing Incident

-          Brand Recovery Team and Plan

-          Evaluation of Brand Recovery Plan

At the end of seminar, speakers, organizers and supporting organization representatives took a group photo for memory.

Reference:

IuPDI – http://www.iupdi.org/

SEEM, CityU – http://www.cityu.edu.hk/seem/

EngD Society – https://www.hkstp.org

CQI-HK Branch – www.thecqi.org.hk

HKSQ - http://www.hksq.org/index.asp

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