International IP Rights & Copyright: A Case Study
The Problem
When a large American law firm needed help managing a European auto-accessories manufacturer and distributor, they called on Pnc IP Group for help.
This manufacturer and distributor operated in Europe, the United States of America, and Canada.
Their problem was that laws in both Europe and the United States allowed the auto-accessories manufacturer and distributor to operate the business in one way, but they were concerned that Canada would prohibit their business model.
Even though we had determined that they would not run afoul of Canadian regulatory regimes, they still needed extra assurance on how they could achieve their business model while steering as far away from anti-competition concerns as possible.
The Solution
Pnc IP Group concluded that modifying their end-user and re-seller agreements to account for intellectual property rights, and particularly copyright, was the best solution.
By relying on certain copyright aspects, the European client was able to largely maintain their operations in a consistent manner, while also not upsetting existing re-sellers and end-users.
The changes we made were minimal, subtle, important to our client, and of little-to-no impact on their Canadian end-users and re-sellers.
The Outcome
The small modifications we made to their re-seller agreements allowed them to meet their objectives consistent with their European and American operations, while still satisfying all Canadian regulatory requirements.
They were particularly grateful that they would be able to operate in Canada almost identically to how they were operating in the United States and Europe.
Today, you can see their auto-accessory parts on Canadian vehicles all over the country, and we’re proud to have helped them realize their ambitions
Contact Pnc IP Group today to learn more about our International IP Rights and Copyright services.