Why Shanghai Court Enforces Trademark’s Diligence Obligation on Original Equipment Manufacture?

(By You Yunting) Original Equipment Manufacture (the“OEM”) refers to a commercial model where the Principal person is responsible for the brand, research and design, and marketing, meanwhile, the manufacturer is responsible for production. As a big manufacturing country, OEM is an important way for our manufactured products to participate in international competition. Under China’s Laws, however, it is unclear whether OEM constitutes as a trademark infringement, and local courts have handed out different decisions for this problem. According to the author’s information, Fujian higher court, Zhejiang higher court and Shanghai higher court held that OEM manufacturers does not involve trademark infringement, but Guangdong higher court decided that the OEM manufacturers shall take responsibility for trademark infringement in many cases. The Supreme Court has not yet expressed its opinion towards this problem.

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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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Legal Issues concerning Trademark during the Exhibition in China

In recent, more and more Chinese companies is developing their business outside China and thereby brings more chances for exhibition. Meanwhile, with the rapid economy development on China, the exhibition sponsored by China becomes more and more influential. Such exhibitions have become the key occasion for the release of new product and technology of the companies in China and abroad, which followed by many legal problems with the IPR matters are the most prominent ones. Bridge IP Law Commentary today will give our analysis on the issues related to the exhibition trademark.

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The Actual Term of Trademark Registration in China

The brief introduction on the registration process of trademark in China

Bridge IP Law Commentary is frequently asked to introduce the process of the trademark application in China and the time it may take. Actually, the trademark registration is a harsh job here 5 years ago, for the administrative examination and approval could take as long as 3 years due to the imbalance between the rocketing applicaton amount and the low efficiencty of the trademark office in China. Luckily, it has been greatly improved, and 10 months is enough for going through the process. Today, Bridge IP Law Commentary will introduce you the standard process of the China trademark registration:

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Introduction of China’s Legal System of Trademark Renewal

 Highlight: The first registered trademarks after the promulgation of the trademark law in 1982 will be in the renewal period soon, and most of such trademarks now are owned by foreign invested companies. In this essay, Bridge IP Law Commentary will give our advice and analysis on the trademark renewal.

The system of trademark application was first carried out in China in 1982 with the promulgation of the Trademark Law, by which the period of validity of a trademark registered in China is ten years from the day of approval and can be renewed, otherwise it will be cancelled. Therefore, most first registered trademarks are coming into the renewal period in 2012 or 2013, and among which the trademarks registered by foreign invested companies occupy a higher proportion due to the weak awareness of the trademark of Chinese enterprises then. For this reason, we would like to remind foreign clients to apply for trademark renewal timely during the renewal period and the grace period. Today, our website will introduce and analyze China’s legal system of trademark renewal.

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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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