China has grown to be one of the largest markets for fashion
businesses in the world. However, with opportunities come
challenges. In the Chinese market, one of the biggest challenges
for fashion businesses is how to deal with counterfeit products. In
this article, we discuss some of the options that fashion brands
have to protect their shoe designs against counterfeit products in
China.
First of all, let's get some basic ideas of the enforcement
options and the three types of protection available on shoe designs
in China.
Enforcement options
An intellectual property rightholder is usually able to enforce
its rights before courts or administrative authorities (such as the
local administration of industry and commerce). Compared to
enforcement before the courts, administrative enforcement is
usually quicker and less expensive. However, the administrative
enforcement authorities are usually reluctant to take action if the
case is complicated. Further, the
