This year’s Olympics is China’s big chance to showcase its intellectual property credentials to the world. And organizers are pulling all stops to make sure the Olympic brand isn’t sullied, sponsor brands are not infringed, and IP rights end up the big winner!

New laws. Stricter enforcement. Cutting-edge technology. China is sparing no effort to reverse its rep as the counterfeit capital during its biggest national event. This week's BPSpecial features: China’s strategy to beat ambush marketers, new regulations enacted to protect Olympic signs and symbols, the rise of RFID as the go-to technology for large-scale events, law enforcement success stories in putting Olympic counterfeiters out of business, a new ticket authentication system…and more.

Previous BPSpecials:

June 2008 – Smart Packaging = Smart IP Strategy

Despite the fact that not all brand owners are using or even considering security packaging technology, discover why today's facts and figures belie their thinking and prove one thing: that a smart IP strategy often starts with smart packaging. This week's BPSpecial covers: a new hard-to-fake, OVD-based anti-counterfeit technology, the USCBP operation that seized 2,000 AC/DC power adapters with fake UL markings, the Ferrero Rocher legal victory, the expense vs. investment security packaging debate…and more.

May 2008 – IP Plants the Seeds of Innovation

As counterfeiters go beyond fake software, handbags and DVDs to the seemingly innocuous world of agriculture…as new agri-biotech inventions take agriculture to the cutting edge…IP rights in this area have never been more critical. In fact, they've become the focus of new authentication technologies, patent infringement lawsuits and vigorous geopolitical debates. This week's BPSpecial puts the spotlight on: the danger of illegal seeds, the Monsanto patent enforcement controversies, patenting agricultural biotechnology inventions, new technologies for fighting counterfeit seeds, the Bayer CropScience patent infringement lawsuit…and more.

April 2008 – Growing Your Green Intellectual Property

Discover new vistas in patents, trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property concepts that have been opened by the green revolution. What happens when counterfeiters get a hold of your eco-friendly product? What's the UK's Intellectual Property Office doing to make sure green innovation starts young? How do patents measure the growth of green technology? Does the Green Dot trademark conflict open the floodgates for other green-related litigation? Finally, does "greenwashing" equal counterfeiting? Our BPSpecial on green intellectual property answers these questions and more.

March 2008 – Scene Stealers: Why All the World's a Stage for…Piracy!

Even before the big night, DVD screeners intended for Oscar voters were popping up all over file-sharing networks. BPCouncil takes you backstage into the world of entertainment piracy. Our stories range from Nielsen's latest anti-piracy web tool and Nintendo's aggressive anti-counterfeiting campaign…to the EU proposal to extend copyright protection for sound recordings, the technologies behind Oscar piracy, and MPA's successful Operation Blackout initiative…and more!

February 2007 – Will China's IP Fortunes Change?

One step forward, two steps back encapsulates China's efforts in redeeming its good name in the world of brand protection and intellectual property. Discover Microsoft's new anti-piracy system to protect China's software industry's IP rights…the country's continually evolving copyright laws and their impact…the world's most wanted counterfeiter, new (encouraging) figures on China's electronic authentication market…the continuing allure (and chutzpah) of Silk Street…and more!

January 2007 – The Art of the Fake

In galleries, auction houses, online auction sites (and, can you believe, Costco?), there's a high surge in purchases of counterfeit art. Read about the famous "Bolton Forgers" who almost got away with it…a new guide for artists and designers on how to protect their creative work…new technologies that can detect fakes through the oil painting pigment…how Costco found itself a defendant in a counterfeit lawsuit…and how various personalities, organizations and enforcement agencies are working to stem the tide of art fraud.

December 2007 – Image Makers, Image Breakers

Holidays: 'tis the season for giving…and for booming counterfeit business!  Here's the lowdown on haute counterfeiting – from the technologies to prevent it to the laws that can possibly reverse it…from the steps taken by brand owners to the initiatives adopted by law enforcement. Most important, we'll tackle just why consumers' lust for counterfeit luxury goods continues to bolster the image breakers at the expense of the image makers.