A memorandum of understanding to strengthen intellectual property rights (IPR) protection was signed between the major United States and Chinese air conditioning and refrigeration industry organizations during the 2007 AHR Expo.

The MOU was signed Jan. 29 by ARI Chairman Robert Wilkins; ASHRAE Vice President Lynn Bellenger; International Exposition Company President Clay Stevens; and representatives from the China Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry Association (ZHAO Rui); the Chinese Association of Refrigeration (ZHANG Ping); and the Beijing International Exhibition Centre (CHEN Feng).

Under the agreement, all six organizations agreed that zero-tolerance policies for counterfeit products should be enforced and procedures should be established that assist trade show exhibitors who encounter IPR violations. The six parties also agreed to increase communication and collaboration to facilitate the development of education and training programs that build awareness of the protection of intellectual property among all industry segments.