Development Partner for Smart Cities

The concept of Smart Cities is gaining importance in many countries. It aims to, significantly improve efficiency and quality in the areas of urban mobility, communication, shopping and living through the use of networked devices, cloud computing and Big Data. China is very successfully combining embedded sensors, meters, cameras and other surveillance technologies with Big… Continue reading Development Partner for Smart Cities

Patentability of Software-Related Inventions

Since patents were traditionally intended to protect technical solutions such as those required for mechanical devices, it is still not possible to obtain a patent for a computer program per se. However, there are ways to include software in a patent application. In 2020, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) revised its examination guidelines… Continue reading Patentability of Software-Related Inventions

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

Counterfeiting in China: Platform Operators Must Demonstrate Measures

When fighting counterfeiting against online shops, it is often difficult for brand owners in China to identify the manufacturer of the counterfeits and to prosecute him legally. Therefore, the platform operator should also be sued in the lawsuit if he violates legal obligations.  According to the Chinese E-commerce Law, the owner of intellectual property right… Continue reading Counterfeiting in China: Platform Operators Must Demonstrate Measures

Return Fraud for Counterfeit Processors

The American chip manufacturer Intel reports a massive increase in counterfeit Intel CPUs (Central Processing Unit) for the Chinese market. The fakes are sold via e-commerce platforms such as AliExpress or Amazon, and third-party dealers try to smuggle large quantities of fake CPUs into the market by returning (Return Merchandise Authorization, RMA) allegedly original products.… Continue reading Return Fraud for Counterfeit Processors

Covid-19 Accelerates the Creation of Strong Chinese Brands

The Corona crisis is intensifying the Chinese quest for strong brands. In order to increase the consumption of the population and stimulate the weak domestic demand, China now wants to politically promote and accelerate the development of well-known and high-quality Chinese brands. These are intended to help increase the influence of Chinese products and services… Continue reading Covid-19 Accelerates the Creation of Strong Chinese Brands

China’s New E-Commerce Law

In the last 15 years or so, our buying habits changed dramatically with the global rise of online shops like Amazon or German Zalando. In China, e-commerce is even bigger. This is why the country wants stricter regulation of the booming online retail industry and more requirements for e-commerce participants. But does China’s new e-commerce… Continue reading China’s New E-Commerce Law

Cyberspace Regulation: New Cyber Courts and the E-Commerce Law

China further innovates and adapts its legal environment to the challenges of the digital era by opening two cyberspace courts (link to the article) and introducing its new E-Commerce Law (link to the article). At the two new cyberspace courts in Beijing and Guangzhou, highly specialized judges will handle Internet-related cases. The whole procedure will… Continue reading Cyberspace Regulation: New Cyber Courts and the E-Commerce Law

What Changes Come with the New E-Commerce Law in China

Foreign companies selling their products online in China will soon not only have to deal with the new regulations on cybersecurity but also comply with the upcoming law on e-commerce. The Chinese government released the second draft for public comments in November 2017. So far it is not known when the law will come into… Continue reading What Changes Come with the New E-Commerce Law in China

Digital Free Trade Zones: A Nightmare for IP Protection

This February, the First Global Cross-Border E-Commerce Conference was held in Beijing, organized by the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the General Administration of China Customs. Beijing was an obvious choice of location given the fact that 40 percent of global e-commerce is carried on in China – not to mention the country’s leading position… Continue reading Digital Free Trade Zones: A Nightmare for IP Protection