This is particularly important because, on the one hand many products are made in China, but on the other hand many products are sold B2B via online platforms such as Alibaba. To claim design protection in China, a registered design is actually quite essential, because copyright claims are very difficult (and expensive) to substantiate. So design protection can now be done much more cost effective. In addition to China, protection can also be applied for in 76 other countries via the International Model, including the entire European Union.
