The brewing trade war between the United States and China has shone a renewed spotlight on a longstanding source of contention between the two economies: intellectual property theft.

President Donald Trump announced on March 22 the U.S. would impose tariffs on Chinese imports in response to Chinese theft of American IP, and since then the two nations have engaged in a series of retaliatory economic sanctions. While trade experts say the back-and-forth could give rise to a global trade war, IP law experts say the debate underscores the need for stronger intellectual property protections in America and abroad.

Most IP attorneys say across the country, inventors and innovators can take only a reactive, rather than proactive, approach to protecting their work. But experts also say Indiana has a unique approach to IP law that sets the state apart as a model for strong intellectual property defense.

Specifically looking to the patent side of IP law, it’s also common for overseas markets to produce goods covered by American patents, then import them back into the states for a profit, said Charlie Meyer of the IP firm Woodard, Emhardt, Moriarty, McNett & Henry LLP. Alternatively, Chinese manufacturers of American goods often take American molds and use them to create identical, but knockoff, goods, Meyer said.

Read the entire Indiana Lawyer article here.