On August 18, 2022, the Ruian City People’s Court announced a ruling in favor of Vans against a shoe manufacturer award triple punitive damages in a trademark infringement case. Vans was awarded 2,428,226 RMB as well an injunction, which was recently upheld on appeal. The shoe manufacturer was also subject to administrative fine and seizures previously.
Author: Aaron Wininger
Aaron Wininger is a Principal and Director of the China Intellectual Property at Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner.
Police Raids Crack Two Cases Valued at More than 110 Million RMB in Counterfeit e-Cigarettes in Hezhou, China
Illustrating criminal IP Laws can be a good enforcement mechanism in China, an August 15, 2022 post by Hezhou Radio and Television stated that on May 25, 2022, the Pinggui Branch of Hezhou Public Security Bureau cracked a case of counterfeiting trademarked electronic cigarettes. Eight people were arrested on the spot, and more than 30,000 electronic cigarettes, nearly 200,000 cartons, and nearly 200 barrels of raw materials were seized. The production equipment such as soldering machines, oil filling machines, testing …
Shanghai Administration for Market Supervision Releases Typical Cases Including Counterfeit Nike and Champion Brand Children’s Clothing
On August 23, 2022, the Shanghai Administration for Market Supervision released a set of typical cases from its Three-Year Action Plan for the Quality and Safety Protection of Children’s and Student Products in Shanghai (2021-2023) (上海市儿童和学生用品质量安全守护三年行动方案（2021—2023年)). The Action Plan has so far yielded 8.1014 million RMB ($1.181 million USD) in fines and the first case of the release involves 7.2 million RMB in counterfeit Champion and Nike children’s clothing.
20,000 RMB for Passing Chinese Patent Bar in Guangzhou
In order improve the service level of intellectual property protection in Guangzhou’s Nansha District, the Guangzhou Nansha District Market Supervision and Administration Bureau proposed paying those that acquired the Chinese patent attorney qualification certificate 20,000 RMB. The proposal is from an August 19, 2022 draft entitled Guangzhou Nansha New District (Free Trade Zone) Intellectual Property Support Measures (Draft for Comment) (广州南沙新区（自贸片区）知识产权扶持办法（征求意见稿)). Other handouts include up 1,000,000 RMB for winning national and provincial awards for patents, trademarks and copyrights. This is …