Across China: Guangzhou

IP infringements

In recent years, intellectual property infringements during the Canton Fair increased steadily, causing concerns among government officials.

During the 105th Canton Fair this year, machinery and electronics industry representatives received about 200 complaints of patent infringements.

The complaints involved 282 firms and more than 30 trading groups, officials said.

Patent insurance

The government of Chancheng District in Foshan, Guangdong, announced the start of a first-ever patent insurance cooperative.

The cooperative is a new mode of IPR protection shaped by the government, insurance companies and patent agencies.

Member companies pay annual premiums to insurance companies.

Insurance companies then designate two to three government-certified patent agencies to offer patent services.

When members encounter patent disputes, the insurance companies compensate expenses for the litigation. Member companies can also obtain government sponsorship or preferential rates from patent agencies.

IP workshop

The China Chamber of Commerce for Imports and Exports of Machinery and Electronics Products (CCCME) organized a workshop at the Canton Fair this year on infringements on machinery and electronics manufacturers.

Officials from the Ministry of Commerce, State Intellectual Property Office and State Administration for Industry and Commerce led discussions on protections of intellectual property rights. Representatives of 40 companies attended the workshop.

The CCCME will organize lectures and training sessions for future fairs.

Sporting goods dispute

Several Guangdong shops were sued by Rudolf Dassler Sporting Goods for allegedly infringing its trademark of a puma animal.

According to the IPR Tribunal of Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court, Guangzhou courts accepted 1,082 cases on the Puma trademarks between June 2006 and August.

Several cases are still pending at the Guangzhou courts.

The sporting goods company said it registered trademarks for the word Puma, the figures of the puma animal and the combination of the two in 1978, and had used all three in mass marketing.

In 2006, Puma sued the online sales network taobao.com in Guangzhou for creating a platform for multiple online shops to sell counterfeit Puma products. The company sought 1 million yuan in damages.

The trial court, Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court, denied Puma's claims, ruling that taobaoo.com exercised its duty to check the identity of sellers.

Puma has since brought numerous manufacturers, department stores, wholesale markets and self-employed individuals to court.

(China Daily 10/12/2009 page9)