Tom Duke: our man in Beijing

01-06-2014

Tom Duke works for the UK Intellectual Property Office in Beijing to support British companies operating in China. He talks to WIPR about his role.

IP problems in China are costing British businesses tens of millions of pounds in profits every year, claims Tom Duke, senior IP liaison officer at the British embassy in Beijing. “It’s a serious problem, and certainly one we don’t take lightly.”

Part of the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) attaché network, which spans China, Brazil, Singapore and India, Duke knows first-hand the challenges British IP owners face in China.

His role divides into two parts, the first requiring him to lead all UK-China cooperation on IP policy. This includes “running policy projects”, he says, as well as “managing our bilateral relationship with different parts of the Chinese government”.


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