E-Commerce in China - From a Legal Perspective with Daniel Albrecht

Do you want to enter the Chinese market but you have no idea of the whats and hows? Have you tried involving your business with China but you experienced a huge differential shock? Do you want to know the essentials of the market, especially e-commerce? If so, sit back and relax as we dive into the system with today’s guest.

Daniel Albrecht is a German lawyer based in China. He specializes in trademark law, commercial law, as well as corporate and labor law. Daniel also assists his clients in drafting and negotiating complex contract documentations, aside from advising international businesses on the acquisition or sale of public and private companies. It was in 2004 when Daniel had his first professional encounter with China as a law clerk.

In this episode, Daniel guides you towards the Chinese market as he discusses the country’s e-commerce law. Here, he explains how important it is for companies to be prepared if they want to be involved with the market. Moreover, Daniel shares insights business owners should know in order for them to properly situate themselves in the e-commerce system. Listen as he makes e-commerce law easy in just eight minutes of interview.

What you will learn from this episode:

• Discover how e-commerce works in China
• Know the difference between European and Chinese e-commerce markets
• Learn more about the pitfalls of wanting to join the Chinese market

“Register your trademarks in China, register your IP in China. Otherwise, somebody will see it and register it for you.”

– Daniel Albrecht

Topics Covered:

02:13 – Daniel’s ideal clients: A family-owned business with 50 to 500 employees, and embassies in China.

03:06 – The problem that he solves with regards to e-commerce: Clients’ problem with fakes.

03:58 – The typical symptoms people experience when dealing with problem of fakes: Not being prepared and lack of market observation.

04:57 – Common mistakes people make when they try to solve the problem by themselves: They have no language abilities.

06:00 – Valuable Free Action: Prepare yourself and your activities as early as possible

06:48 – Valuable Free Resource: European Union's SME centre.

07:31 – The concept or talk that has been most impactful in his experience: Working in Chinese law firms.

08:17 – The difference between the Chinese and the European e-commerce market.

09:24 – Last question: Is there a ballpark as to how long it would take to obtain a trademark for one's company or sector?

Key Takeaways:

“If you visit an international exhibition in your own country, or in a second country or in China, register your trademarks in China, register your IP in China, otherwise somebody will see it and register it for you.” – Daniel Albrecht

“My most important experience was to work for Chinese law firms, because during this time, I gained a feeling for how Chinese companies function internally and also how Chinese lawyers work and think, and this is from time to time a little bit different from our mindset. And that was maybe the most valuable experience during the last couple of years.” – Daniel Albrecht

“If you are not familiar with the preparation, you have no chance to prove evidence because nobody takes it seriously.” – Daniel Albrecht

“I think a lot of companies are not aware that we have no Amazon here or let's say we have Amazon but the market as a whole is not dominant. It's a niche company here with market share about one point something percent. If you want to do commercial activities, you need to be aware that there are other social media platforms.” – Daniel Albrecht

“I’m quite worried because if people are calling or waiting from overseas, quite often they forget the time difference and then you'll get messages in the night or whenever.” – Daniel Albrecht

Ways to Connect with Daniel Albrecht:

• Email: law@beijing-starke.com
• Website: starke-ip.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dadanielalbrecht/

Ways to Connect with Howard Whiteson:

• Website: http://www.wealthwithoutborders.net
• Podcast: https://wealthwithoutborders.net/podcast/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/howardwhiteson