Shanghai’s No. 3 Intermediate Court Sentences DuPont Counterfeiter to 2+ Years in Prison

Posted on Categories Trademarks

On January 6, 2022 the Shanghai No. 3 Intermediate People’s Court (上海第三中院) sentenced defendant Zhang XX for counterfeiting DuPont’s registered trademarks for pesticides and related products and was sentenced to two years and two months in prison and a fine of RMB 220,000. Further illegal gains and property was confiscated.

Chinese Invention Patent and Utility Model Grants Both Up 31% in 2021

Posted on Categories Patents, Utility Model

At the National Meeting of Directors of Intellectual Property Offices held on January 6, 2022, China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) Director Shen Changyu released some initial data on 2021 intellectual property grants. Specifically,  In 2021, the quantity and quality of intellectual property development indicators have both increased. In terms of creativity, 696,000 invention patents, 3.120 million utility models, and 786,000 designs were authorized, and the number of high-value invention patents per 10,000 people in my country (excluding Hong Kong, …

Guest Post: Tackling Bad Faith Trademark Applications or Registrations in China – Part II

Posted on Categories Trademarks

This is the second guest post in a 4-part series regarding defeating bad faith marks in China from Beijing East IP authors Yan Zhang, Miao Tian, & Austin Chang. Previously, the authors shared the relevant stipulations regarding bad faith trademarks in the China Trademark Law 2019 (“Trademark Law 2019”), insights on the required factors when applying bad faith, and the current trend and practices. In the next few guest posts, they will share cases with analysis on how the China National Intellectual …

Vanillin Trade Secret Case Makes 2021 Top Ten Chinese People’s Court Cases

Posted on Categories Trade Secrets

China’s official People’s Court News (人民法院报) announced the top 10 Chinese People’s Court cases for 2021 on January 6, 2022, which included one intellectual property law case – a trade secret case in which China’s Supreme People’s Court awarded 159 million RMB (~$24.9 million USD) to the trade secret holder.  This is the largest ever trade secret misappropriation award reported in China. Other non-IP cases of note that made the list include the Lai Xiaomin case (who collected bribes totaling …