Rules to ban advertising 'well-known trademarks'

Owners of products recognized as well-known Chinese trademarks can no longer use the legal designation on their product packages or advertisement, according to the second draft version of an amendment to the trademark law submitted to China's top legislative body on June 26.

Patent disputes decried as cover for protectionism

Trade friction over intellectual property rights is being cited by some countries as a pretext to implement protectionism, a senior Chinese government official said, according to Shanghai Securities News.

IP Scene

1. Beijing

Land market at 5-year high

China's land market sizzled in May, with the land transfer fees in the country's 10 key cities reaching a record high since 2008, industry statistics showed, indicating pressure for further home price hikes in the market.

Venezuela's weaker bolivar hits global firms

US companies from Procter & Gamble Co to Pfizer Inc are facing a hit on their earnings as Venezuela's government limits access to dollars and the currency fell further.

Unfruitful time for BlackBerry

BlackBerry's shares tumbled the most since 2000 after the company reported a surprise loss and weak sales of a new touch-screen model, underscoring its challenges in competing directly with the iPhone and Android devices.

Market Roundup

Smaller concerts proved to be a big hit

Music market is diversifying as it attracts more sophisticated, dedicated audiences

Musicals singing all the way to the bank as popularity soars

Always a blockbuster, The Phantom of the Opera in Shanghai sold 5,000 tickets in May within just five hours to theatre-goers who got up as early as midnight to line up for a seat for the show to be staged in five months.

Location services in infancy but promising

As early as November, Kangping, the most northerly county of China's Liaoning province, embraces its first snow of the year. The temperature drops below zero degrees Celsius and may even fall to minus 30 later.

New war of words as Zhou enters market

Chief threatens to machinegun rival's rotund penguin mascot

Massive debt plagues local gov't

How much have China's local governments borrowed? The answer has always been shrouded in mystery.