Invalidations Against Five-Year-Old Trademark Registrations

In the context of China strengthening its intellectual property (IP) rights protection mechanisms, the Chinese administrative and judicial authorities have been granting stronger protection to different types of IP rights in specific cases. As far as trademark protection is concerned, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) and the Chinese courts have both made meaningful decisions in protecting well-known trademarks.

To balance the legal rights and interests of rights owners and the protection of Chinese consumers (provided through administrative authorities' acts), the China Trademark Law sets strict requirements to raise the threshold for initiating an invalidation against a registered trademark.