2008
China owned 600,000 geographical indication trademarks for agricultural products
According to statistics from, at the end of 2008, China had 531 geographical indications and registered 600,000 trademarks for agricultural products. According to a survey in 2008 by administrative authorities for industry and commerce on 22 geographical indications for cultivated agricultural produce, the average price of agricultural products tripled once registered with a geographical indication trademark. In some cases, the price of the agricultural product rose 28 times. Relevant officials with the Trademark Office suggested avoiding indiscriminate applications to develop geographical indications, and paying particular attention to enhancing the ability to maintain the brand.
First ten provinces owning Well-known Trademarks emerged
In 2008, SAIC intensified the protection to well-known trademark and recognized 228 well-known trademarks among which 136 were in handling trademark administration cases, 33 were in examination of opposition cases and 59 were by the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board (TRAB). As of the end of 2008, the amount of well-known trademarks in China had reached 1,359 pieces.
According to the amounts of well-known trademarks, the first ten provinces or cities were Zhejiang (175), Guangdong (143), Shandong (127), Jiangsu (119), Fujian (111), Beijing (76), Shanghai (72), Hebei (53), Sichuan (48) and Hunan (47).
SAIC clarified applications for trademark objection
To further enhance the efficiency of trademark registration and standardize the work of trademark objection, the Trademark Office issued a circular to trademark applicants and trademark agencies to further explain related issues of trademark objection.
The circular pointed out that, according to relevant provisions of the Trademark Law and Implementation Regulations for Trademark Law, the application for trademark objection should contain clearly defined requests and fact-based written expressions.
4th China Trademark Annual Meeting
The 4th China Trademark Annual Meeting, hosted by Chinese Trademark Association, was launched at Xianghe of Hebei Province. Vice Commissioner of SIPO Zhang Qin was invited to deliver keynote speech at the meeting. In his statement, Zhang pointed out, under the circumstance of economy globalization and IPR rules internationalization, China’s economy development would be boosted, only relying on independent innovation and S&T progress. He expressed that trademark strategy is an integral part of National IPR Strategy and trademark is the comprehensive carrier of enterprise’s IPR.
Trademark strategy promoted crossstrait exchanges
On November 25th, the 2008 Crossstrait Trademark Seminar was held in Chengdu, Sichuan Province.
Then-Deputy Director of State Administration of Industry and Commerce (SAIC) Fu Shuangjian attended the seminar and made a speech, hoping that the crossstrait trademark cooperation and exchanges could better promote cross-strait economic prosperity and development. In his speech, Fu pointed out that in recent years industrial and commercial departments across the country have investigated and dealt with 62 cases of counterfeiting Taiwan trademarks, worth 4,850,000 yuan, effectively protecting the legitimate rights and 5 interests of Taiwan businessmen.
SAIC supported trademark registration in earthquake-stricken area
SAIC issued Several Opinions on Supporting Production Restoration, Market Invigoration and Reconstruction in Earthquake-stricken Area (Opinions) to support the trademark registration and implementation of trademark strategy in the earthquake-stricken area.
According to the Opinions, due to the impact of earthquake, the trademark holders may not timely follow the procedures of trademark renewal, reply to trademarks objection or provide related evidence, which may lead to the loss of trademark rights. In the light of force majeure, the related parties can provide certifications issues by the local administrations for industry and commerce and conduct relevant procedures within a certain period of time.
Over 3 mln trademarks registered in China
China made progress in its battle to protect intellectual property rights (IPR) last year with better implementation of relevant laws and regulations, the State Intellectual Property Office said in Beijing. By the end of 2007, China’s registered trademarks have surpassed 3 million, according to a press conference of the Information Office of the State Council. In 2007 alone, the Trademark Office received 708,000 trademark registration applications. Of these, 405,000 have been examined and 263,000 ratified. Offices of industrial and commercial administration at all levels investigated 50,318 cases of trademark violations in 2007.
China registers 301 GI trademarks
On April 17th, Deputy Director of the Trademark Office Fan Hanyun released that based on the Trademark Law, the registered GIs totaled 301 in China from 1994 when the SAIC began to protect GIs till the end of 2007.
According to Fan Hanyun, to increase farmers’ income by agricultural product trademarks and geographical indications, 2007 No.1 Document of the CPC Central Committee required to protect trademarks, GIs and famous brands related to agricultural products.
On one hand, the SAIC encouraged and guided farmers to register trademarks and GIs for agricultural products and on the other hand, SAIC intensified the protection of GIs and agricultural 8 product trademarks.
