2011

China’s first brand trading center kicked off in Shanghai

In order to support domestic SMEs seeking to develop their own brands and overcome difficulties in intangible assets financing, the Shanghai Culture Assets and Equity Exchange and China’s SMEs Brand Development and Model Base affiliates to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology jointly established Shanghai Brand Trading Center on August 28th 2011. This established the first domestic brand trading center, with the purpose of providing professional services concerning brands protection, revitalizing the old brands, integrating and building cutting-edge brands, designs and other creative transactions.

Sichuan: combat trademark infringement

The special law enforcement actions, named as “safeguard the renowned enterprises and brands,” had been launched by the branch of Bureau of Industry and Commerce in Meishan City, Sichuan Province in order to combat the unfair competition severely and effectively curb the illegal behavior of selling fake well-brand wines.

The Bureau had closed 2 trademark infringement cases in the first half year of 2011, with total value 86,000 yuan (USD13, 394.80).

Trademark strategy teams established in 26 provinces

In June 2009, SAIC issued the Views on the Implementation of Vigorously Promoting the Trademark Strategy under the Outline of a National Intellectual Property Strategy.

In January 2011, 26 provinces (including autonomous regions and municipalities) were setting up leadership teams to establish trademark strategies. Most were headed by government leaders.

In addition, 21 provinces had promulgated the implementation document of trademark strategy.

Trademark strategy had risen from an individual sector action to a comprehensive government action.

Trademark examination cycle shortened to 10 months

Since the beginning of 2011, the industry and commerce authorities across China continued to improve trademark examination efficiency and nowadays, trademark examination cycle has been shortened to 10 months, reaching the international level, learnt from the meeting on industry and commerce administrative management work across the country on December 26th. In 2000, trademark applications outnumbered examined ones and trademark backlog soon appeared.

Till the end of the year 2007, examination period had exceeded 3 years. By the end of the year 2010, the period was shortened to 1 year and solved backlog issue.

Online registrations of trademarks to account for over 90%

Fu Shuangjian, former deputy commissioner of SAIC, expressed on the press conference of “China’s Intellectual Property Development in 2010” that the online application for trademarks should be further promoted. By the end of the”Twelfth Five-Year Plan,” valid trademark registrations would have reached 8 million, over 90% of which would have been applied for online. The objectives and measures, on one hand, were emphasized on the enforcement of laws; and on the other hand, on the timely formulation of related regulations and policies so as to improve China’s trademark legal system.

SAIC nailed 30,000 infringements of well-known trademarks

SAIC announced their substantial results since China launched the national campaign on combating IPR violations and on the production and distribution of fake and shoddy products, as of February 11th, SAIC had totally handled 30,000 infringement well-known trademark cases. Of all the 38,000 cases handled, 30,000 infringing well-know trademarks, 5,347 involving foreign trademark. SAIC had received and handled 42,000 complaints, retrieved 130 million yuan of economic loss for the consumers. Among 450,000 trademark filings, 81,000 were rejected and some of them were filed with malicious intent.

Chinese trademarks preempted in Canada

Three enterprises in Zhejiang Province received letters in January and March from the Chinese Embassy to Canada, forwarded by SAIC, on the preemption of their trademarks in Canada. The enterprises, MengNa Hosiery, Newglory Jewelry and Kangnai, are all locals in Zhejiang Province.

“International Tourism Island” trademark involved in preemptive registration

Hainan has long marketed itself as an international tourism island. But Shandong Tai’an Dafuhao Advertisement Co., Ltd. had already registered the trademark for 国际旅游岛 (International Tourism Island) under Category 39 Travel and Tourism. The Administration for Industry & Commerce of Hainan appealed for cancellation. The Administration planed to incite Hainan Provincial Tourism Association to register it as a collective trademark. Tai’an Dafuhao Advertisement responded that if any company from Hainan wishes to buy out the trademark, they would be happy to consider the deal.