In follow up to China’s Ministry of Public Security’s press conference on April 23, 2021 regarding criminal Intellectual Property (IP) law investigations, China’s Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) on April 25, 2021 released criminal IP law prosecution data and a list of typical cases. In 2020, the SPP prosecuted 12,163 people in 5,847 cases, a year-on-year increase of 7.6% and 10.4% respectively. Criminal trademark infringement cases accounted for 94.2% of the total, copyright infringement cases accounted for 5.3% of the total, …
Category: Case
China’s Ministry of Public Security Releases Status of Intellectual Property Criminal Investigations and Lists Typical Cases of Public Security Agencies Cracking Down on Crimes of Intellectual Property Infringement
On April 23, 2021, China’s Ministry of Public Security held a press conference on the status of enforcing criminal intellectual property (IP) infringement laws. At the press conference, the Ministry said that during the “Thirteenth Five-Year Plan,” which just ended, public security agencies across China have investigated more than 90,000 criminal cases of infringement of intellectual property rights and production and sale of counterfeit goods with a value of more than 47 billion RMB, and arrested more than 130,000 criminal …
Suspended Prison Sentences, Fine and Civil Compensation for Infringement of Chinese Trademark ‘STIHL’
According to an report in 宁波日报, an unnamed Ningbo company infringed Andreas Stihl AG & Co. KG’s Chinese trademark for ‘STIHL’ by manufacturing over 19,000 chain saws worth 225,000 RMB (about $34,000 USD) bearing the STIHL trademark without authorization. On April 9, 2021, the Yuyao Court, where the case was heard, sentenced the Ningbo company to a 120,000 RMB fine and imposed additional 80,000 RMB to 120,000 RMB fines on three defendants. The three defendants were also sentenced from two …
Guangdong Higher People’s Court Ups Damages 10X on Appeal in Trademark Infringement Case for Lego Bricks
On April 1, 2021, the Guangdong Higher People’s Court announced the awarding of 30 million RMB (~$4.7 million USD) to Lego on appeal, an increase from the original award of 3 million RMB. Late last year, the Shanghai Higher People’s Court also upheld a 6-year prison term for Lego infringers in a related case for copyright infringement. The Lego manufacturers, using the brand name Lepin (乐拼), include Guangdong Meizhi Zhijiao Technology Co., Ltd. , a related entity, and Shantou Zhilepin …