App Protection in China

Encouraged by the sudden boom in the online education market due to Covid-19 pandemic, a small language institute in Belgium saw a great business opportunity to expand and even to internationalise its online language education. They had just developed a brand new app which offered several interactive language classes allowing students from all over the world to join. Due to the new education method the institute had developed and the charisma of the teachers, the app saw initial success in Belgium and in Europe. What made the app particularly successful, was the fact that it not only facilitated the provision of interactive online classes, but it also offered various activities and managed students’ homework. It offered great flexibility to students in terms of schedule and pace, as students could practice whenever they decided to. All educational material used in the app was developed by the teachers of the institute. Their initial success in Europe encouraged the language institute to look for markets beyond Europe. Careful market analysis showed that language education had big market potential in China where most students prefer to use different apps to study. The main challenge for the SME was the fact that they were not present in the major app stores of China and their platform was also not available in Chinese language. Furthermore, the SME was concerned about simply getting copied in China since their exercises and teaching methods could easily be reproduced. The SME decided to consult with legal experts knowledgeable in China’s IP laws and regulations to learn more about how to protect themselves before entering China market.