Sughrue Mion to Participate in Mock Trial in China

Sughrue Mion to Participate in Mock Trial in China

October 17, 2006

Sponsored by China-Based SIPO, Event Will Help Chinese Companies Understand U.S. Court System

    WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- As more
Chinese companies look to expand their market into the
United States, knowing how to protect intellectual property
rights and succeed in U.S. courts are increasingly
important. Sughrue Mion PLLC, a leading global intellectual
property law firm, announced today that they will
participate, together with China-based law firm Kangxin
Partners PC, in a three-day mock trial seminar in China
sponsored by the State Intellectual Property Office of the
People's Republic of China (SIPO). The program, taking
place November 6-8, 2006, will introduce Chinese companies
to the U.S. federal courts and the International Trade
Commission (ITC) to help them understand rules of discovery
and the responsibilities of juries and judges in a U.S.
trial. 

    "As the Chinese economy advances and Chinese
companies enter the U.S. market, we feel it is important to
prepare these companies to navigate the complex U.S. legal
system, especially in matters relating to intellectual
property," said Joseph Bach, partner at Sughrue Mion's
Mountain View, CA office. "SIPO's sponsorship of this
event underscores the importance of our mutual goals and
helps illustrate the need for this type of event."

    The mock trial will be presented to an
English-speaking, American-style jury, and presided over by
a U.S. magistrate judge from California.  The 200 Chinese
in-house counsel and corporate managers expected to attend
the event will see the U.S. trial process from discovery
and pre-trial activities through jury deliberation and the
verdict. There will also be a session on the differences
between U.S. district courts and the International Trade
Commission (ITC) and patent defense strategies for both
venues.

    The trial itself will center on a mock case where a
U.S. plaintiff has alleged that a Chinese defendant has
infringed on patented technology for golf club grips. The
courtroom will be modeled after a U.S. courtroom, and all
aspects of the litigation and deliberation will be filmed
so that participants can see what happens during the trial
and in the jury room.

    The event in China will be the fourth educational
session that Sughrue has done in Asia. The firm has
previously held two mock trial seminars in Japan and one in
Korea. Sughrue will also present a workshop on e-discovery
and U.S. trial processes at the Pan European Intellectual
Property Summit, Brussels IP 2006, in December.
    Companies can register for the event or receive more
information by contacting Joseph Bach at
[e-mail].

    About Sughrue Mion, PLLC

    Sughrue Mion, PLLC, is one of the largest law firms
practicing exclusively in the field of intellectual
property law. Based in Washington, D.C. with offices in
Silicon Valley, San Diego, Tokyo, and Beijing, Sughrue
specializes in litigating intellectual property matters in
federal district court and before the International Trade
Commission. Sughrue has obtained more patents for its
clients than any other firm in the U.S. For more
information please visit http://www.sughrue.com .

    For more information, please contact:

     Alejandra Owens
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]

SOURCE  Sughrue Mion, PLLC