Trademark squatting and trademark hoarding have long been a troublesome problem for many foreign companies in China. Now, a breakthrough has been made in Chinese IP jurisprudence: Trademark rights holders can sue for unfair competition against trademark applications filed in bad faith and obtain injunctive relief and damages. One precedent is the case of Emerson… Continue reading Fighting Trademark Squatting as Unfair Competition
Tag: unfair competition
To Punitive Damages by Sending Lawyer’s Letter
In protecting intellectual property rights in China, the effect of a lawyer’s letter is generally limited. Lawyer letters have also been sent with caution because they can have unpleasant side effects. They can not only trigger aggressive countermeasures from the recipient, but also damage the legitimate rights and interests of the opponent, triggering unfair competition… Continue reading To Punitive Damages by Sending Lawyer’s Letter
CAI Does Not Protect European Companies from Unfair Competition
With the concessions and commitments China has made under the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) on a level playing field, market access, labor and environmental protection, this agreement is expected to provide European companies with easier access to the Chinese market and improve the conditions of competition. However, we must be aware that the CAI… Continue reading CAI Does Not Protect European Companies from Unfair Competition
Parallel Imports: Trademark Infringement Or Unfair Competition?
Parallel imports involve importing legally manufactured original products into China from other countries without authorization from the IPR holder. Until now, Chinese laws, regulations and judicial interpretations have not clearly defined the legitimacy of this practice. But now the Guangzhou Intellectual Property Court has ruled that parallel imports of non-counterfeit products do not constitute trademark… Continue reading Parallel Imports: Trademark Infringement Or Unfair Competition?
Unfair Competition With WeChat Data Rights
In China, the first decision on unfair competition with data rights on internet platforms has recently been published. The background: Tencent, the king of social media, owns the data and limited data rights of the 900 million daily users of the app WeChat. It is known that Tencent shares a large part of this data… Continue reading Unfair Competition With WeChat Data Rights
BVLGARI Is Recognized as Well-Known Trademark in China
The High People’s Court of Guangdong Province has recognized the BVLGARI / 宝格丽 trademark as a well-known trademark and granted cross-class protection. Between 2013 and 2014, the TASKIN group of companies (德思勤) used the BVLGARI (宝格丽), Baogene and BVLGARI Apartment (宝格丽公寓) trademarks for its commercial property sales service. The use included the use of these… Continue reading BVLGARI Is Recognized as Well-Known Trademark in China