2009

Faster trademark examination boosted strategy implementation

According to SAIC, in 2009, SAIC advanced over its preset objective by examining 1.4147 million trademark applications, which effectively beef up the implementation of trademark strategy. In 2009, SAIC examined 114,700 (88.69%) more trademark applications over its original goal of 1.3 million. The examination period had cut to 17 months. In 2009, SAIC reached its historic high in examining, climbing to 830,500 and ranking No.1 in the world for 8 years in a row. As of the end of 2009, China had become the top trademark power house in the world, with sweeping No.1s of numbers of applications, applications examined and living registered trademarks.

24 Agricultural GI trademarks became “Well-known”

“Up to now, China has approved 714,000 pieces agricultural product trademarks, GI trademarks are 735 pieces and 24 of them were authorized as well-known trademarks by SAIC.” This was learnt from the International Seminar on Geographical Indication in Asian-Pacific Region which was co-sponsored by SAIC and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Up to October 2009, China’s accumulative amount of trademark applications were 7,063,000 pieces, accumulative registration amount were 4,034,000 pieces, and effective registration amount were 3,250,000 pieces, and China had became the biggest trademark country in the world.

2009 China Trademark Festival opened

With the theme of Implementing Trademark Strategy and Constructing Innovation-Oriented County, 2009 (the 3rd) China International Trademark Festival opened in Qingdao of Shandong province on November 9th, which was the most influential event within the domestic trademark industry. The trademark festival attracted over 70 guests from 20 or more countries, districts and international organizations including WIPO, the International Trademark Association, the U.S., Japan and Ukraine, and more than 3,000 delegates. This trademark festival hand held a series of events including China Trademark Annual Meeting, Domestic & Foreign Trademark Agency Development Forum, China Trademark Contest, Agricultural Product & Geographic Indication Exhibition and etc.

The Chinese mainland filed more trademark applications in Taiwan

Taiwan Intellectual Property Office released that, in recent years, the trademark registration applications filed by applicants from the Mainland in Taiwan were increasing by degrees year after year. In the first nine months of 2009, there were 836 applications and the total number this year was expected to outnumber one thousand pieces. By contrast, the trademark registration applications filed by Taiwanese were descending continuously, even negative increase occurred in the three consecutive years according to related statistics. Oppositely, the trademarks registered by Taiwanese in the Mainland were increasing in a row.

SAIC issued Work Plan for Trademark to reinforce protection

On November 30th, State SAIC issued Work Plan for Trademark (2008-2012), which brought forward guiding thoughts, basic principles, goals and measures for the trademark work during the period.

In order to carry out the Outline of National Intellectual Property Strategy, further utilize trademark resources to facilitate a faster and better economic development, and realize the transformation to a leading country of trademark, in the beginning of 2008, SAIC brought forward a 3-year (2008-2010) plan and 5-year (2008-2012) plan to reach the international level.

China launched first countrywide trademark design competition

On August 20th, “Wahaha” Cup 2009 China Trademark Design Competition, the first countrywide trademark design competition in China, was launched in Beijing. The competition invited the experts of art universities and colleges, the elites in deign field and the law experts in trademark field and so on, it constructed strategic cooperation with some portal websites as well to issue the special of the competition and put up online voting in the whole society.

Financial crisis shrank trademark international filings

According to the Trademark Office, applications for international registration of trademarks sank between January and May 2009 compared with the same period of 2008. Chinese users filed 712 applications for international registration via the Trademark Office, down 11.2% from 802 of the same period in 2008. Foreign users filed 6,018 applications for territorial extension of international registration via the World Intellectual Property Organization, down 5.8% from 6,391. Financial crisis was the most direct factor causing the drop.

China’s top court issued guideline dealing with reputed trademark infringement

China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) had released a judicial explanation on handling cases concerning reputed trademark infringement, which had taken effect on May 1st. The explanation summarized relevant trail experience and was to improve the courts’ judicial protection system of well-known trademarks, enhance the authority and credibility of judicial protection and safeguard the market order featuring fair competition.

The explanation made clear basic requirements for reputed trademarks as well as protection and recognition.

It standardized judicial measures in handling civil cases concerning trademark infringement and provided legal backup for judicial protection over well-established trademarks.

China’s trademark registrations rank first for 7 years

In 2008, the volume of trademark registrations in China reached nearly 700,000, ranking the first in the world for 7 consecutive years.

The above figure was given at the WIPO Inter-regional High-Level Forum on Intellectual Property held in Beijing on March 30th 2009. Since China restored trademark register in 1979, the amount of trademark applications had increased from 26,000 in 1980 to nearly 700,000 in 2008. At the same time, the quality and efficiency of trademarks examination and review had been significantly improved. In 2008, SAIC received 17,000 applications for international trademark registration, with an increase of 4.9%.

SAIC to promote trademark strategy fulfillment

In 2010, SAIC would carry out the trademark strategy. For the registration and protection of agricultural product trademarks and GI, commercial and industrial entities would continue to set up “Green Channel” for GI registration applications, reinforce the protection of GI exclusive rights, transfer the main protection work from cities to countries and severely combat trademark infringement actions harming farmers. Besides, commercial and industrial departments will enhance cooperation with WIPO and African IP Organization as well as other trademark administration organs in order to create sound IPR protection environment for China’s GI products in the world market.