On April 23, 2020, the Chinese Trademark Office has warned applicants of a scam of someone sending a “trademark announcement” via mail to the applicant in order to defraud the applicant via payment of unnecessary fees. The Office reminds applicants that all notices since May 2016 are electronic and the receipt of Official Documents do not require the payment of fees.
Category: Trademarks
Chinese Trademark Office Issues FAQ on Collective and Certification Trademark Registration
On April 23, 2020, the Trademark Office of the China National Intellectual Property Administration issued a Frequently Asked Question list (FAQ) on registering collective/certification marks. A Collective mark is a trademark owned by an organization (such as an association), used by its members to identify themselves with a level of quality or accuracy, geographical origin, or other characteristics set by the organization. A certification mark is a type of trademark that is used to show consumers that particular goods and/or services, or their …
China’s Supreme People’s Court Releases Top 10 Intellectual Property Cases for 2019
On April 21, 2020, China’s Supreme People’s Court released a list of the top 10 intellectual property law cases of 2019. The cases cover patent (invention and design), trademark, copyright, unfair competition and criminal trademark law. Cases in the list were adjudicated by Courts spread over China and at different appeal levels.
31 Million RMB Fine Shows Dual Enforcement Mechanisms for Chinese Trademark Infringement
Beijing Creative Mackey Plus Information Consulting Co., Ltd. (北京创意麦奇佳偶信息咨询有限公司, hereinafter Mackey English) sued the Beijing Chaoyang District Market Supervision Administration (北京市朝阳区市场监督管理局) in the Chaoyang District People’s Court of Beijing for imposing a 31 million RMB fine (~$4.38 million USD) for trademark infringement and the Beijing Market Supervision Administration (北京市市场监督管理局) for affirming the fine after already paying damages for infringement in a civil trial. Under the Chinese trademark law, trademark infringers can be subject to both civil liability and administrative penalty.