Across China: Beijing

Design Congress

Beijing will host the World Design Congress in October. The event is considered the Olympics of the design industry and is held every two years. Experts say holding the congress in Beijing will help trigger the transformation of China's domestic enterprises, from "Made in China" to "Designed by China".

Designers from 67 countries and regions around the world are expected to attend the meeting.

Judicial explanation

China's Supreme People's Court (SPC) has released a judicial explanation on its website on handling cases concerning reputed trademark infringement.

The judicial explanation took effect on May 1.

The SPC's intellectual property court said the explanation summarizes relevant experience and was to improve the courts' judicial protection system of well-known trademarks, enhances the authority and credibility of judicial protection and safeguards the market order featuring fair competition.

The explanation makes clear basic requirements for reputed trademarks as well as protection and recognition, among other items. It standardizes judicial measures in handling civil cases concerning trademark infringement and provides legal backup for judicial protection over well-established trademarks.

New rules

The State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) recently issued the Detailed Rules on Recognition of Well-known Trademark.

According to the rules, the recognition of well-known trademark aims to intensify trademark protection, to guide enterprises to implement trademark strategy, and to form a batch of enterprises with their own intellectual property rights, well-known brands and international competitiveness.

The new rules make specific provisions on the elements of well-known trademarks, evidence material, review of trademark management and objection procedures, re-examination of trademark objection, review of trademark dispute as well as supervision and legal responsibility.

The rules provide that the following factors shall be taken into consideration when recognizing well-known trademarks: the trademark recognition in the general public, the duration of the use of the trademark, the duration, extent and scope of trademark publicity, and protection records of the trademark as well-known trademark.

(China Daily 05/11/2009 page11)