Trademark Battle for The Shopping Festival

Singles’ Day, which takes place every year on 11.11. is the most popular annual shopping festival and the world’s highest-turnover online shopping day. It is hosted by leading Chinese e-commerce platforms, mainly Taobao and JD.com. Both together generate billions of dollars in sales every year, even more than on Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined.… Continue reading Trademark Battle for The Shopping Festival

Multi-Level Protection Scheme: China is Forcing Companies to Protect Their Data

With the new Multi-Level Protection Scheme 2.0 (MLPS), the regulatory pressure on companies operating in China continues to increase. The regulatory system for data and cyber security forces all companies to ensure, according to the specifications of a multi-level protection scheme, that their network is free of interference, damage or unauthorized access and that no… Continue reading Multi-Level Protection Scheme: China is Forcing Companies to Protect Their Data

The Genie in the Bottle: Know-how Protection for Start-ups

The consequences of the loss of know-how are far costlier than its protection. With start-ups, it is not uncommon for the entire investment to be at stake. For start-ups, further specific challenges appear besides the typical risks of know-how outflow. Start-ups, for example, face further challenges due to their open communication culture in coworking spaces… Continue reading The Genie in the Bottle: Know-how Protection for Start-ups

Antimonopoly Directive Restrict Intellectual Property

The Anti-Monopoly Bureau of China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has published the Anti-Monopoly Guidelines on Intellectual Property Rights (“IPR Guidelines”). This long-awaited Directive aims to prohibit the use of intellectual property rights if they eliminate or restrict competition. The Guidelines also provide clearer rules and guidance on monopoly of intellectual property rights. Chinese… Continue reading Antimonopoly Directive Restrict Intellectual Property