Intellectual rights are written into the constitution of the USA and are complex, an industrial design (the appearance) can have a patent and they are registered as such. The actual engine is functional and can also have patents and many do and some have several patents within a design.


The USA has its own systems and so do other countries the WIPO offers a common system that is shared/honored by many nations. http://www.wipo.int/treaties/en/documents/pdf/hague.pdf


Commonly major manufactures will file rights of protection in all systems. Other countries also have their own registrations systems in place. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industr...#United_States


Selling a product that is in violation of a patent in a protected market can be halted by court order and that could mean all the inventory in any retail shop cannot be legally sold. Then also all prior sales and proceeds from those are and can be considered as recoverable damages of the violation.


If China does not honor the rights defined in other nations, then recovery or halting of the sale cannot go beyond the boundaries of jurisdiction of the other nation that honors the patent rights. So then damages are limited to those within the jurisdiction were the violation occurred. A patent violation in the USA could bring about a court order to halt the sale and also could order the seizer of the asset of a distributor. Damages if awarded can be retroactive and can go back to the first sale of the first unit. The lawsuit could go back to the manufacturer, however it would not likely be considered with regard to other nations laws in the Chinese courts. However damages are and can be held indefinitely and prevent them or limit them in any ventures in those nations. To me it all looks self defeating if the object is exporting, not materially pertinent for domestic sales not directly anyway, but it makes all that are watching suspect and reluctant to get involved, honor and integrity are not just words on paper they are in reality a resulting perception of historical behavior.