International Risk Acquires Thompson Market Services (TMS)

International Risk is pleased to announce an exciting corporate event. International Risk Ltd (www.intl-risk.com), a wholly-owned subsidiary of NYSE-listed FTI Consulting Inc., has acquired Thompson Market Services (“TMS”), a market leader in the Chinese intellectual property and brand protection arena. A copy of our official corporate announcement can be viewed at the end of this message.

TMS is a Hong Kong company with a Shanghai-based Wholly Owned Foreign Enterprise (“WOFE”), Thompson Market Services (Shanghai) Ltd. Through its main operational platform in Shanghai and a branch office in Guangzhou, the company maintains operational coverage in some twenty Chinese cities, and serves an impressive list of multinational clients.

TMS’ current service offering includes investigations into intellectual property and brand protection issues and the effective co-ordination of raid action in China against infringing parties. TMS has to date coordinated some 2,300 counterfeit raid actions, 150 market sweeps in 1,500 locations, and has obtained 130 criminal convictions of serious infringers.

International Risk Limited is the leading risk mitigation organization in Asia, providing comprehensive business risk solutions including investigative due diligence services, fraud and corporate investigations, business intelligence, political risk assessments and crisis containment services. International Risk is currently involved in strategic consulting to clients facing significant threats to their brands or intellectual property. International Risk can provide data forensics and IP valuation services - to establish the quantum of losses to affected corporations and to enhance penalties against infringers and counterfeit syndicates.

TMS will be fully integrated into International Risk Limited. Steve Vickers will take on the role of Chairman of the newly acquired company whilst Bill Thompson (Managing Director) and his core management team will remain, having signed 4-year employment contracts with FTI/International Risk. The existing International Risk platforms in Hong Kong, Beijing, Singapore and Tokyo will also support the newly developed business.

Informed estimates indicate that the global trade in counterfeit goods is valued at US$600 billion. Many of these goods are manufactured in China but are exported globally by internationally funded syndicates.

To address this threat to global brands new and more strategic approaches are required. The marriage of International Risk’s strategic consulting and professional experience with TMS’ practical and on-the-ground capabilities is a powerful combination and will open up new and more effective ways to protect brands and the intellectual property of International companies. Additionally the ability to perform effective royalty audits and to monitor returns from licensees is a key element of our new service lines.

Our new integrated offering will include the following key aspects:

• Brand protection strategy, consulting and program design
• Strategic assessment and market penetration studies
• Market monitoring and evidence collection services
• Major case or program management and execution
• Network investigation and enforcement coordination in the PRC
• Manufacturing, distribution and export intervention
• Advice on PRC IP registration, renewal, cancellation, opposition and re-licensing
• Investigations into brand-jacking and non-use of trademarks
• IP due diligence into suppliers, distributors & third party manufacturers
• Evaluation of in-house investigations, raids & seizures for senior management
• Anti-counterfeit information management
• Piracy investigations & coordination of simultaneous raids
• Intellectual property litigation intelligence gathering
• Litigation support for IP related criminal and civil litigation
• Quantification of losses
• Local and international lobbying, and alliance building
• IP purchase negotiations
• Coordination of anti-counterfeiting publicity campaigns
• Cyber-trade intervention measures
• Forensic and data analysis of seized computer evidence to support evaluation of losses

In summary, we are very excited at the opportunities this transaction affords, particularly our greatly enhanced ability to offer clients comprehensive brand and IP protection programs.

To view the press release, click here.

For more information, please contact:

Steve Vickers, President & CEO
International Risk
(852) 3120-8688 or 9196-2350

Bill Thompson, Managing Director
Thompson Market Services
(852) 2501-5233

Grace Ting, Vice-President, Marketing & Communications
International Risk
(852) 3120-8613