[IP CHINA] "Blue Sky" Against Trademark Agency Illegal Practices

The China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) launched a 'Blue Sky' project in the year 2019 which was originally aimed at regulating illegal and unlawful practices in the patent agency industry. Based on Administration for Market Regulation (AMR)'s recently published cases, it seems that the CNIPA has extended the project covering trademark agencies. Below we are introducing you to three AMR decisions.

The first case concerns forged evidence about a Geographical Indication (GI) application, "???? (Pinyin: Guanmen Hongmei; Meaning: Guanmen Town red manuka flower)", which is a species of a flowering plant. The Sichuan Province AMR has received a clue, reflecting that Sichuan Delong Trademark Agency Co., Ltd. was suspected of falsifying historical materials in its application for the "Guanmen Hongmei" GI trademark, and The Sichuan Province AMR immediately launched an investigation.