On March 20, 2020, the Chinese Securities Regulatory Commission (similar to the Securities and Exchange Commission in the U.S.) released the Science and Technology Attribute Evaluation Guidelines (Trial) stating requirements to list on the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s Science & Technology Board. Among other requirements, applicants to list must have Chinese invention patents.
Chinese Patent Office Releases Patent Statistics for First Two Months of Coronavirus Epidemic
The China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) has released patent statistics for combined January and February 2020 showing a 9% decline in invention patent application filings compared to the first two months of 2019. 2019 as a whole had already shown a significant decrease in filings. Combined January/February data is often used due to variation in the timing of the Lunar New Year holiday, which can occur in January or February and cause a tremendous decrease in patent filings due …
Chinese Intellectual Property Agency Punished for Malicious Epidemic-Related Trademark Filings
The Chaoyang District Market Supervision Bureau (in Beijing) has fined Beijing Yijie Shunda International Intellectual Property Agency Co., Ltd. 100,000 RMB (about $14,000 USD) for the malicious filing of trademarks related to the coronavirus epidemic. The agency applied on behalf of two clients for trademarks for 火神山 (literally, Vulcan Mountain) and 雷神山 (literally, Thor Mountain), the names of two front line hospitals in Wuhan treating patients infected with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 disease.
Chinese Trademark Office Announces Rejections of Malicious Epidemic-Related Trademark Applications
In follow up to the notice of February 27, 2020 cracking down on malicious epidemic-related trademark applications, the Chinese Trademark Office has announced the rejection of 63 malicious trademarks for the names of Wuhan hospitals and other epidemic-related marks and 37 malicious trademarks for “Li Wenliang,” one of the Wuhan doctors that initially warned of the virus and later succumbed to it.