Beijing Internet Court Recognizes Copyright in AI-Generated Images

Posted on Categories Case, Copyright

On November 27, 2023 the Beijing Internet Court issued a decision recognizing copyright in AI-generated images. The plaintiff, Mr. Li, used Stable Diffusion (an artificial intelligence) to generate the image involved in the case and published it on the Xiaohongshu platform; the defendant, a blogger on Baijiahao, used the image generated by the plaintiff’s AI to accompany the article, and the plaintiff sued. The Court held that the artificial intelligence-generated image involved in the case met the requirements of “originality” …

New Balance Scores 30 Million RMB in TM Infringement Case at China’s Supreme People’s Court

Posted on Categories Case, Trademarks, Unfair Competition

In a decision dated September 26, 2023, China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) affirmed a decision for trademark infringement and unfair competition against Jiangxi New Balance Leading Sporting Goods Co., Ltd. (与上诉人江西新百伦领跑体育用品有限公司) and Guangzhou New Balance Leading Shoes Co., Ltd. (广州新百伦领跑鞋业有限公司).  The SPC calculated damages as 29.04 million RMB and 1 million RMB for attorney and related fees.

China’s Supreme People’s Court Releases Typical Cases on Film Intellectual Property Protection

Posted on Categories Case, Copyright

On November 3, 2023, China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) released the Typical Cases of Film Intellectual Property Protection by the People’s Courts (人民法院电影知识产权保护典型案例). The SPC stated, “In order to strengthen the publicity of the rule of law in the film field, further stimulate the innovation and creativity of the film industry, and promote the prosperity of socialist culture, the Supreme People’s Court issued typical cases on the protection of film intellectual property rights. Typical cases include both criminal cases and civil …

4.5-Year Prison Sentence in Shanghai for Counterfeiting of Anchor Butter

Posted on Categories Case, Trademarks

On October 24, 2023, the Shanghai Jinshan Primary People’s Court announced the sentencing of Wang XX to 4.5 years in prison and a 2 million RMB fine for the crime of counterfeiting registered trademarks for Anchor and Fonterra after a year on the run.  A co-defendant Wang YY received a suspended sentence. Over several years they sold about 8 million RMB of butter and other dairy products bearing counterfeited trademarks.