The short answer is.... You can't protect your invention in China.Hey guys I need to be in China in 3 weeks to produce a new product invention in the textile industry. I already have patent in US and have until February to purchase patents in other Countries.
I can get a Chinese patent, but I am wondering if it will really hold up. I am worried my product will be all over Alibaba before I make it back to US !
Any advice would be highly appreciated.
It is common for innovators to ask a Chinese manufacturer to produce a prototype and find that their product is on the market (via another manufacturer) before they even get their prototype.
When you see the vast market for fakes being sold illegally by opportunists without morals, and know that they almost all originate in China, you will appreciate that Intellectual Property rights mean next to nothing there.
Have your product developed locally. At least the idea won't be stolen and copied until you have developed a market.
Walter