Experts criticize China's trademark registration
- By Zhang Lulu
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E-mail China.org.cn, May 16, 2014
Experts criticized China's overheated trademark registration at the 5th UK-China Intellectual Property Salon in Beijing on May 15.
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The 5th UK-China Intellectual Property Salon in Beijing on May 15. Steve Rowan (R2), Director of Trademarks and Designs, UK Intellectual Property Office, gave a keynote speech. Liu Chuntian (L2), dean of the Intellectual Property Academy of Renmin University, and Cheng Yongshun (R1), director of the Beijing Intellectual Property Institute and former deputy chief judge at Beijing High People‘s Court IP Tribunal, sat as panelists. [China.org.cn/Zhang Lulu] |
![The 5th UK-China Intellectual Property Salon in Beijing on May 15. Steve Rowan (R2), Director of Trademarks and Designs, UK Intellectual Property Office, gave a keynote speech. Liu Chuntian (L2), dean of the Intellectual Property Academy of Renmin University, and Cheng Yongshun (R1), director of the Beijing Intellectual Property Institute and former deputy chief judge at Beijing High People’s Court IP Tribunal, sat as panelists. [China.org.cn/Zhang Lulu]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20140516/00016c42b25a14e011e627.jpg "The 5th UK-China Intellectual Property Salon in Beijing on May 15. Steve Rowan (R2), Director of Trademarks and Designs, UK Intellectual Property Office, gave a keynote speech. Liu Chuntian (L2), dean of the Intellectual Property Academy of Renmin University, and Cheng Yongshun (R1), director of the Beijing Intellectual Property Institute and former deputy chief judge at Beijing High People’s Court IP Tribunal, sat as panelists. [China.org.cn/Zhang Lulu]")
Liu Chuntian, dean of the Intellectual Property Academy of Renmin University, said that there are currently 7 million registered trademarks in China, but the United States has only 1.76 million, Japan 1.73 million, and other developed countries less than 1 million.
"China has more registered trademarks than all the Western nations put together. But I am suspicious about what this volume means and to what extent can this be used as a criteria to assess achievements in the trademark system." Liu said.
One third of the staggering volume of trademarks is unused, Cheng Yongshun, director of Beijing Intellectual Property Institute, and former deputy chief judge at Beijing High People's Court IP Tribunal, said.
The impulse of preemptive registration is not unique to companies, Cheng said. "During the Beijing Olympic Games, the organizing committee applied for over 800 trademarks; during the Guangzhou Asian Games, the committee applied for more than 2,000; and the organizing committee for the World University Games applied for over 1,200."
This demonstrates some problems in Chinese people's understanding of the function of trademarks, and the high volume of applications will put the reviewing body in trouble, Cheng said.
But the impulse could be curbed if the new trademark law is enforced strictly. Cheng added.
China made the third major amendment to its trademark law, which came into force on May 1. "Though the newly revised trademark law has set some time limits on the reviewing period, I think there is still room for improvement. The establishment of a really effective IP court, as dictated by [the Decision made at) the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, could play a significant role." Cheng said.
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