On March 28, 2023, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) issued its 2023 Budget (国家知识产权局2023年部门预算). On the patent side, CNIPA is targeting a 45% jump in invention and utility model patent application filings in 2023 to at least 4.82 million applications versus the 2022 target. CNIPA is targeting to complete examination of at least 1.923 million applications compared with last year’s target of 1.809 million (a 6% increase). Nonetheless, CNIPA plans to maintain an examination timeline of 16.5 months …
Category: Trademarks
Wuxi Intermediate People’s Court Upholds 4.5 Year Prison Sentence for Chinese Trademark Scammer
On March 23, 2023, the Wuxi Intermediate People’s Court (无锡市中级人民法院) upheld a lower court’s sentence of 4.5 years for Zhao XX as well as a fine of 30,000 RMB and restitution of 280,000 RMB. Zhao used the “trademark document express delivery” scam to courier copies of official trademark approval announcements to trademark applicants requiring the payment of 25 RMB upon receipt.
Mattel Defeats Chinese Trademark Applicant Attempting to Register “Barbie” for Services Including Artificial Insemination (For Animals)
On February 16, 2023, the Beijing IP Court announced a ruling in Mattel’s favor against a Chinese applicant attempting to register a trademark for 芭比堂 (Barbie Tang) in class 44 for goods and services including animal breeding, artificial insemination (for animals), test tube fertilization (for animals), pet bathing and veterinary assistance. Yunchong (Beijing) Animal Medical Technology Co., Ltd. (云宠（北京）动物医疗科技有限公司) operates a chain of animal hospitals operating under the name of 芭比堂动物医院 (Barbietang Animal Hospital) and applied for a trademark for …
The Office of the United States Trade Representative Releases 2022 Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy Naming 6 Chinese Online Markets
On January 31, 2023, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) released the findings of its 2022 Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy (the Notorious Markets List). The Notorious Markets List highlights online and physical markets that reportedly engage in or facilitate substantial trademark counterfeiting or copyright piracy. The List named 6 Chinese online markets including AliExpress, Baidu Wangpan, DHgate, Pinduoduo, Taobao and the WeChat ecosystem. The List states that while Taobao has made significant improvements, …