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Weir Bulletin 19
Business Improvement
Weir gets tough on copycats
To maintain its competitive edge, The Weir He continued: “It is also unprecedented for so
Group has invested heavily in its global many criminal IP raids to be conducted in such a
intellectual property (IP) portfolio – for example, swift, coordinated manner against a large group
patents, trademarks, designs and copyright of infringers, seizing products, patterns,
works. drawings, computers, books and accounts and
Over the last few years customers and other resulting in the detention of one major culprit.”
parties have brought to our attention that some Since 2008, the Chinese Government Punishment decisions against the first wave of
unauthorised manufacturers in China were commenced enforcement action against infringers have been issued. In the case of one
attempting to copy some of our pump products infringers who were misusing Weir’s trademarks, company which was raided in July 2009,
and trying to deceive our customers by misusing copyright materials and technical drawings. The drawings and pump parts branded WARMAN
our brand names, such as WARMAN. On Chinese Ministry of Public Security, the Hebei were seized. The resulting punishment included
occasions, manufacturers tried to pretend that Province Public Security Bureau (PSB) and the a large financial penalty of a magnitude rarely
their copycat products were authorised by Weir, Shijiazhuang, Hengshui and Baoding Municipal awarded, as well as an order for the factory to
by using our photographs and drawings which PSBs, as well as the local Administrations of cease its infringement activities and destruction
are protected by copyright. Customers also Industry and Commerce (AIC), conducted raids of the parts and manufacturing patterns seized
reported that these copycat products were of of the factory premises of 8 different infringers during the raid. The story of the raid and
inferior quality. as well as around 40 wholesalers and retailers. punishment was covered by the Chinese media.
“The laws for protecting trademarks and In some cases the factory premises were raided The Chinese law enforcement authorities are
copyright in China exist and are being used twice, some months apart. The raids occurred pushing to continue with further enforcement
increasingly by Western companies for from September 2008 to July 2009, resulting in actions to bring infringers to justice. In parallel
enforcement of rights, although the process can factory and shop closures. with this, The Weir Group is planning further
be slow, complex and expensive”, said Malcolm “It is extremely rare for IP cases to be trademark and copyright infringement cases in
Engel, Weir’s intellectual property manager. accepted by Chinese PSB forces despite many China in 2010.
“For the past 18 months, after we judged that years of lobbying by international and domestic “We have a number of activities moving
the time was right and that the costs were IP rights holders” said Alan Mitchelson, the legal along, aimed at protecting our various
justifiable, we have been working in close & commercial director of The Weir Group. “In investments in IP” said Scot Smith, divisional
collaboration with Chinese Government bodies this case, both the Australian and Chinese managing director of Weir Minerals Division.
and law enforcement agencies to carry out governments were determined to fight the “Weir Minerals is very serious about its IP
actions to enforce Weir’s intellectual property infringers, resulting in the use of criminal protection in China and elsewhere, as is the rest
portfolio in China.” processes against the infringers.” of the Group.”
Russia develops
knowledge
Weir Minerals Russia recently hosted training
sessions relating to dewatering and slurry
pumps. Project managers delivered
presentations and reported on pump lining
materials, in addition to discussing Weir
Minerals marketing strategy.
Mike Papadeas, regional sales manager at
Weir Minerals Hazleton in North America
presented the full range of Hazleton pumps and
typical applications during the training.
Craig Hickerson, director of key accounts at
Weir Minerals Floway and Simon Jones, mine
dewatering business manager at Weir Minerals
Europe held general sessions on Floway and
Warman SJ pumps for regional sales and
Safety First – No Compromise
marketing staff. The training identified key
areas of pump types, providing staff with a
Weir Minerals Australia recently unveiled a safety environment. The Safestart programme, complete overview of product applications.
wall at the Beresfield facility near Sydney. The implemented in 2009, has developed a culture of The training sessions coincided with the
safety wall features photographs of the team with identifying and eliminating risks at the facility. Lost preparation for installation of SHW pumps for
their own important safety messages, highlighting time accidents decreased significantly between Kovdorsky GOK on the Kola Peninsula in Russia.
their personal commitment to working in a safe 2008 and 2009.
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