Log in or register
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn

ARTICLE · 20 MAY 2020

The Wild East? Protecting Trade Marks In China

HGF Law
Explore more from HGF Law

Although China is becoming an increasingly important consumer market, it still has the reputation of being a cheap (counterfeit) production country, with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) being the motor of the Chinese economy.

ChinaIntellectual Property
Lee Curtis
Lee Curtis
Susanne Bilderbeek
Susanne Bilderbeek
Author LinkedIn connections

Originally published May 2020

Made in China 2025

Although China is becoming an increasingly important consumer market, it still has the reputation of being a cheap (counterfeit) production country, with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) being the motor of the Chinese economy.

With its Government campaign Made in China 2025, China is now trying to lose its image of (counterfeit) factory of the world and aims to put its own trade marks in the spotlights.

Counterfeit production by OEMs

OEM simply means that a manufacturer is commissioned to manufacture products and attach the commissioner's trade mark to same. Often these products do not enter the Chinese marketplace and are exported abroad.

We operate a free-to-view policy, asking only that you register in order to read all of our content. Please login or register to view the rest of this article.

Register for freeORLog in

View source

Related Articles

Legal Intelligence Newsletters: sign up for the latest legal and regulatory news on your chosen topics

Read more about

Related Comparative Guides

See more popular content from

Article

China's Supreme Court Issues Landmark Judicial Rules On AI: Implications For Product Liability, IP, Data, And Generative AI

China's Supreme People's Court has issued comprehensive judicial rules addressing artificial intelligence disputes, establishing frameworks for product liability, intellectual property rights, and data protection. These landmark opinions provide critical guidance for global companies navigating AI-related legal risks in China's evolving regulatory landscape.
ChinaIntellectual Property
Jones Day
Jones Day
Article

High Court Clarifies The Limits Of Copyright Claims Against Online Marketplaces

The UK High Court has delivered a landmark ruling on online marketplace liability, dismissing Shein's copyright infringement claims against Temu and clarifying when platforms can be held responsible for third-party content. The judgment examines the boundaries of copyright ownership in complex supply chains and establishes important precedents for how marketplace operators should respond to infringement allegations.
United KingdomIntellectual Property
HGF Law
HGF Law
Article

UPC CoA Confirms Jurisdiction Over Pending European Patent Application

The UPC Court of Appeal has confirmed that the Unified Patent Court can exercise jurisdiction over European patent applications, provided they are granted before the defendant files their statement of defence. This landmark decision means patent holders may now be locked into the UPC system even before their patents are officially granted, fundamentally changing the strategic timing considerations for opting out of UPC jurisdiction.
United KingdomIntellectual Property
HGF Law
HGF Law
Article

Patenting Performance: Protecting The Science Behind A Personal Best

Nomio, a broccoli-based sports supplement gaining popularity among endurance athletes, has secured patent protection for its innovative use of sulforaphane to enhance exercise performance and treat metabolic conditions. This analysis explores how the company leveraged university research to protect both therapeutic and non-therapeutic applications of their simple three-ingredient formula, demonstrating that even products with common ingredients can achieve robust patent protection through novel use claims.
United KingdomIntellectual Property
HGF Law
HGF Law
Article

UK Patents Court Reinforces The UK Threshold For Plausibility

The UK Patents Court has upheld Novartis' patent and SPC protecting Entresto, its blockbuster heart failure treatment combining valsartan and sacubitril, rejecting all validity challenges from generic manufacturer Accord Healthcare. The judgment provides crucial guidance on plausibility requirements where experimental data have been generated but not fully disclosed in the patent specification, clarifying when qualitative disclosure of positive results suffices without detailed numerical data.
United KingdomIntellectual Property
HGF Law
HGF Law
Article

UPC CoA Confirms “gold Standard” For Added Matter In Sibio v Abbott

The Court of Appeal of the Unified Patent Court recently issued a decision examining whether omitting an elastomeric sealing member from a patent claim constitutes added matter, applying the EPO's "gold standard" test while emphasizing the importance of functional and structural relationships between features. The ruling provides crucial insight into how the UPC approaches intermediate generalizations and whether its methodology differs from the notoriously strict EPO practice on added subject-matter.
LuxembourgIntellectual Property
HGF Law
HGF Law
Article

Trade Mark Changes In Jersey, And Why They Might Affect You

Jersey has completely overhauled its trade mark system, establishing its own Intellectual Property Office and abolishing the previous UK re-registration requirement. The new framework aligns closely with UK trade mark law while enabling Jersey to participate directly in the Madrid System for international registrations. These changes, effective August 1, 2026, include automatic cloning of existing UK designations into Jersey rights and signal further IP modernization ahead.
JerseyIntellectual Property
HGF Law
HGF Law
Article

Protecting The AI Drug Discovery Ecosystem: Building An IP Stack Around Targets, Molecules And Medicines

As computational biology and artificial intelligence reshape drug discovery, pharmaceutical companies face a critical challenge: how to protect not just the final therapeutic compound, but the entire ecosystem of datasets, models, and biological insights that enabled its creation. This article examines the evolving intellectual property landscape where 90% of clinical candidates still fail, yet the tools predicting their success are becoming as valuable as the medicines themselves.
United KingdomIntellectual Property
HGF Law
HGF Law
Article

Cleaning Up The Laundry: Innovations In Mitigating Microplastic Contamination From Man-made Fabrics

Microplastic contamination from synthetic textiles poses a growing environmental threat, with fibres from man-made fabrics entering water systems through washing machine effluent. As countries like France mandate microplastic filters in washing machines and the EU implements new wastewater treatment rules, innovative companies are developing filtration technologies and novel removal methods to combat this pervasive pollution problem.
United KingdomEnvironment
HGF Law
HGF Law