The world famous inventor Sir James Dyson, has revealed his anger over copyright breaches of his inventions in China.
China has been informed that continued breach of these regulations could see the country expelled from the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Dyson, also a member of the Prime Minister’s business advisory group, has told executives at his organisation that their concern will be raised at an intellectual property symposium.
The inventor of not only the famous vacuum, but also the Dyson Airblade Dryer and Dyson Hand Dryer, said: China’s reputation among foreign investors is being diminished by the flouting of product copyrights and a two-speed patent system that appears to discriminate against non-Chinese applications.
Dyson also stated that there are difficulties faced by those outside China, where in China a patent application takes less than 12 months, it can take as long as five years for a foreign business.
“Under WTO regulations, each country is supposed to treat foreign patent applications with the same speed as local applications. But they are passing Chinese applications in months and taking five years for ours.”
He added: “If we have someone copying our products in China we cannot sue them until our patent is passed.
As well as founding the huge organisation, Dyson has become an advocate for backing design and manufacturing in the UK.