Manufacturing agreements are part of everyday business life in many industries, from the pharmaceutical industry to food and industrial goods. Reasons for principals to enter such arrangements include making use of the manufacturer's specific expertise and resources, outsourcing manufacturing capacity to a low-cost country, or increasing manufacturing efficiency.

When collaborating with contract or toll manufacturers, the manufacturing agreement builds the centerpiece of the collaboration. What are the key rights and obligations of the principal and the manufacturer? What are the typical warranties provided by the manufacturer?

In international groups of companies, dedicated production companies that are often located in low-cost countries, manufacture products under the "contract manufacturing" or "toll manufacturing" business model. How shall the intra-group transfer prices be determined that are acceptable by the relevant tax authorities?

Intellectual property (IP) rights play an important role in contract manufacturing arrangements. What IP rights are at stake and who owns which rights? How does the principal protect their IP rights in a collaboration with a contract manufacturer and vice versa? What should be considered when drafting IP clauses in a contract manufacturing agreement?

The legal and tax experts from the law firm VISCHER Lukas Zuest, Head China Desk, Tobias Rohner, Co-Head of our Tax Practice, and Jonas Gassmann, Head of our Trademark Practice, will discuss these and other questions with you, and elaborate on best practices in this area.

We are pleased to invite you to this SCCC/VISCHER Lunch & Learn event .