Could Co-Founder Rush-Register A Planning Trademark As His Own?

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 (By Luo Yanjie) Article 15 of both the 2014 version and the 2001 version of the Trademark Law stipulated that an agent shall not rush-register trademarks of the principal or the represented. In practice, Article 15 is always used to prevent from rush-registration. The following judgment will introduce a typical rush-registration case with new ideas for reference.

 Introduction to the Case:

Re-appellant (plaintiff at first instance, appellant at second instance): LEHMANBROWN LIMITED (the “HK Company”)

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Analysis on Trademark Infringement Case of Adidas

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 (By Luo Yanjie) In 2001, the globally known sportswear brand Adidas acquired a trademark certificate issued by the Trademark Office of the State Administration of Industry and Commerce (“SAIC”), namely a certificate numbered 1489454 for the “three slants” trademark, which was approved in Class 25 for clothing, ball shoes, hats, socks and other similar products; in addition, the certificate numbered 1536558 for the “three slants” trademark was approved in Class 18, which covers bags, clothing case, traveling bags and belts. On June 21 2003, Adidas transferred the trademarks to its affiliates.

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How to Complain Infringement on Taobao.com after It Moved out of “Notorious Markets” List

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(By Albert Chen & Huang Mengren) As said in a news report, the trade representative recently announced Taobao.com is removed from US notorious market list, and that could be contributed to Taobao.com’s effort in the last year, including the cleaning up on the website under the cooperation with the right holders and the industry association.

Really, in the last year, we have noticed the endeavor from Taobao.com. The website has executed a MEMO with MPAA, Motion Picture Association of America, to combat any illegal sales of the works registered in MPAA. And also we have seen the it launched the system of spot check over all the products sold on it, the IPR protection platform, and the amendment on IPR articles in Taobao Rules in accordance with its experience on IPR protection and the trend of the market.

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Is It Worth for Apple to Pay $60M for iPad Trademark?

According to the media report, the Guangdong People’s High Court announced on the 2nd of July that Apple has concluded a mediation agreement with Proview in the iPad battle, which will be finally settled with the trademark transferred to Apple on its payment of $ 60 million. After the news, the settlement amount of $ 60 million offered by Apple has soon been the focus of the public, and in this essay, we would like to discuss has Apple gained a bargain in the settlement?

For Apple, the payment may be less than its value for the following reasons:

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Apple Pays 60 million US Dollars for iPad Trademark in China

By You Yunting

On the morning of the 2nd of July, the Guangdong People’s High Court announced both Apple and Proview prefer toend the case through mediation in the iPad battle, and both parties have confirmed the final settlement with $ 60 million paid by Apple for the trademark’s ownership in mainland China and thereby signed the agreement of mediation.

By the agreement, Apple shall remit $ 60 million yuan to the appointed account by the court, and meanwhile, on the 28th of June Apple has applied for the enforcement of the above agreement to the Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court, where the 1st instance of the trial is heard. After the application, the Shenzhen Court sent the State Administration of Commerce and Industry the judicial decision and the notice of enforcement assistance today, by which the iPad trademark shall registered under the name Apple.

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What Tencent’s Trademark Strategy Tells Us?

By You Yunting

Today, we would like to introduce how Chinese enterprises protect their brands. Months ago, the news reporting Tencent (SEHK: 700)’s QQ trademark registration in all classes, including condom, is heatedly spread among Chinese netizens. From the report, we saw the local IT giant registered more than 1, 000 trademarks in the classes to protect its well-known mark “QQ” avoiding the free-riding by others, among which the class of food, matchmaking and condom is listed. Unlike the author who criticized Tencent a muddled thinking, we prefer the applications as the company’s thoughtful and overall strategy on trademark protection. Now, here’re our conclusion on Tencent’s experience and the analysis:

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China Trademark Application Examination Period Decreased to 10 Months

As reported by Xinhua.com, it was released on the China Industry and Commerce Administration Conference on 26th, December, 2011 that the trademark examination period is further shortened to the current 10 months calculating from the documents submitting to the examination due, and on the other hand, the trademark opposition and dispute hearing could be finished within 18 months, which has reached the level of U.S.A and Japan.

For the rapid development in the economy, the trademark application in China surpassed the annual examinable amount around 2000, which then led to the overstock. And the examination period was prolonged to more than 3 years by the end of 2007. On that account, the administration took series measures to promote the process, and consequently, the examination period was reduced to less than 1 year by the end of 2010.

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How to Protect the Angry Birds Brand in China?

——It is important to get a localized trademark application program.

The China Industry and Commerce News reported that the developer of the game Angry Birds, ROVIO MOBILE OY (ROVIO) hasn’t yet applied for any Chinese trademark such as “愤怒的小鸟” of the trademark “ANGRY BIRDS”, but only has applied the trademark “ANGRY BIRDS” and the figure trademark of a angry birds for international extension on the No. 9、16、28、41 classifications of goods and services. Therefore, ROVIO company will face great challenges on trademark protection of “ANGRY BIRDS “in China. Bridge IP Lawyer Commentary would aware the foreign enterprises and individuals who want to apply for trademark registration in China of the following two aspects.

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Increased Penalty for the IPR Protection after China Criminal Law Revision


As reported, Mr. Jiang Zengwei, the deputy minister of China Commerce Ministry, replied on the press conference on 13th, December that China will enhance the strength of the IPR infringement punishment from 6 aspects, including the completion on the civil evidence rule and increasing the penalty sum.

The specific measures include to research the revision on the criminal law for the strengthened deterrence with more scientific description on the crime; to draft the current effective measures into the judicial interpretation; to increase the penalty sum as times of the infringing products’ value; to complete the civil evidence rule; to research the increase on compensation; to research the application conditions for the great amount, serious consequence and serious circumstance in the criminal law for the more feasibility of the law.

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No “iPad” Chinese trademark right for Apple after payment in the transaction, and our analysis.

—-the Key points to the trademark transaction under the frame of China laws

Highlight:Apple gets involved in the litigation against a Chinese company for the ownership of iPad trademark, which Apple has claimed the property from purchase. However, such conflict could be averted if proper preparation has been done before the trademark transaction.

Recently, the trademark conflict over “iPad” initiated by Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL, the “Apple”) against Proview Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (the “Proview”) was heard for the third time on Shenzhen Intermediate Court. In the trial, Apple affirmed it owns the global trademark right of “iPad”, which was stroke back by Proview that such right in mainland China is exclusively held by Proview and the claimed transaction of Apple for the acquisition of such right has no permission or authorization from it, furthermore, Apple was also accused of its malicious purchase of the registered “iPad” behind the IP Application Development Company worldwide.

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How to Combat Knockoffs on Taobao.com

Highlights: Introduce the way for foreign trademark, patent and copyright owners to combat knockoffs on Chinese biggest online sales website Taobao.com

Taobao.com, the biggest online transaction website in China, signed the copyright protection memo with International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) in Beijing on 1st, Sep., promising to combat infringement on copyright. (news related, in Chinese)

In 2010, the number of online products of Taobao.com has been more than 800 million, with trade volume of 400 billion. Just like eBay, Taobao.com only provides the platform for online transaction instead of sale by itself.

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