Are OEMs Putting Intellectual Property Protections At Risk With China Ventures?
Scott Ernest, Cessna Aircraft president and CEO; Wang Yawei, Avic Aviation Techniques president; and Shi Lei, head of the Chengdu investment promotion commission; explained Cessna’s plan to manufacture aircraft in China at ABACE earlier this year. (Photo: David McIntosh)
Scott Ernest, Cessna Aircraft president and CEO; Wang Yawei, Avic Aviation Techniques president; and Shi Lei, head of the Chengdu investment promotion commission; explained Cessna’s plan to manufacture aircraft in China at ABACE earlier this year. (Photo: David McIntosh)

For the uninitiated, China can be a scary place to consider establishing a manufacturing operation. Tales abound of product designs being copied, many well documented and ranging from high-end golf clubs to industrial fittings, movies, books and even electronic components. So when Cessna Aircraft announced at the March ABACE in Shanghai that it plans to manufacture two existing jets in China and cooperate with Chinese partners to develop a new business jet, questions arose about how aerospace manufacturers can protect their valuable intellectual property (IP) in such circumstances. There is also the separate issue of quality control in outsourced manufacturing, but that’s grist for a different story.