Do you recognize all the trademark logos on the picture? They represent some of the most famous Chinese trademarks that are already entering the global top-100 charts of the most valuable trademarks. The volumes of China’s trademark filings have increased dramatically in the recent years, from 26.000 trademark applications in 1981 – a number that… Continue reading China’s Trademarks: The Volumes Grow While Overall Value Lags Behind
Tag: China
China’s Anti-Unfair Competition Law Amendment: Stronger Protection of Trade Secrets
The amended Anti-Unfair Competition Law entered into force in China in the end of April 2019. It is one of a series of laws that have been revised in the course of improving IP protection in China. In our last blog post (link) we analyzed the changes in China’s Trademark Law, where it is questionable… Continue reading China’s Anti-Unfair Competition Law Amendment: Stronger Protection of Trade Secrets
Amendments to Chinese Trademark Law: Combatting Bad Faith Applications
The amended Chinese Trademark Law could solve one of the major obstacles in the enforcement of trademark rights in China: trademark squatting, the bad faith registration of trademarks with the intention to sell them later at a high price to the owner of the original trademark. The central new paragraph in Paragraph 4 of the… Continue reading Amendments to Chinese Trademark Law: Combatting Bad Faith Applications
China-Strategy as a Balance
The Netherlands is the first country in the European Union to present key points for a constructive, but at the same time critical China-strategy. The strategic goal is to reweight bilateral relations between the two countries. In its cooperation with China, the Netherlands wants to seize opportunities whenever possible and protect its interests whenever necessary.… Continue reading China-Strategy as a Balance
Protection of Geographical Indications
The EU has adopted a new regulation for spirits that defines labelling standards and strengthens the protection of geographical indications (GI) compared to trademark rights. It will enter into force after official publication in the Official Journal of the European Union and will be largely applicable until 2021. The new Regulation clarifies the standards for… Continue reading Protection of Geographical Indications
Lego Fakes: USD 30 Million Losses
The case is making international headlines: In April 2019, the police in Shanghai smashed a ring of counterfeiters that manufactured and distributed counterfeit toys made by the Danish company Lego. The goal of the action was the Chinese toy manufacturer Lepin. The police raided three locations with ten assembly lines, which were subsequently closed. This… Continue reading Lego Fakes: USD 30 Million Losses
Stricter Control of Experimental Data in China
In the field of pharmaceutical and chemical substances, inconsistencies in the experimental data of a patent application in China can lead to the doubts on patent’s validity. The Higher People’s Court in Peking has decided in multiple cases that submission of incomplete or false data violates the “quid pro quo” principle in disclosing the patent… Continue reading Stricter Control of Experimental Data in China
Small Packages and Complex Routes
Every year, the OECD’s Illicit Trade series study records the current situation of global illegal trade. According to the study, the EU is particularly affected by international trade in counterfeit and pirated products, with around a quarter of all fakes flowing into the European Community in 2016. The counterfeit goods had a value of EUR… Continue reading Small Packages and Complex Routes
Hacking from China: Europe as a New Target
The pressure from the USA on China is bringing it along: Chinese hackers are increasingly aiming for targets in Europe. Between November 2017 and December 2018, the Norwegian company Visma was attacked by hackers from China with the goal of obtaining data on intellectual property and trade secrets. Visma is a provider of software and… Continue reading Hacking from China: Europe as a New Target
Can Single-Color Trademarks Be Protected in China?
The French designer Christian Louboutin has become world-famous for his iconic shoe design – sky-high heels and red shoe soles. The trademark for the red sole was registered in the Benelux in 2010 and the explicit registration for high-heeled shoes followed in 2013. A few years ago Louboutin went to court against the Dutch subsidiary… Continue reading Can Single-Color Trademarks Be Protected in China?
