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One year on since new trade mark laws took effect in China and there is little evidence to show it is becoming any easier for global brands to enforce their rights in the country. The new laws and practices were intended to make it easier to enforce trade mark rights and provide greater levels of transparency and accountability surrounding intellectual property (IP) infringement.
中國(guó)新商標(biāo)法生效一年來(lái)，幾乎沒(méi)有跡象顯示國(guó)際品牌在華行使自己的權(quán)利正變得哪怕是略微容易一些。新法規(guī)的初衷在于，降低行使商標(biāo)權(quán)的難度，并在侵犯知識(shí)產(chǎn)權(quán)問(wèn)題上提供更大透明度和更有力的問(wèn)責(zé)。
It’s easy to understand why an increasing number of western companies are looking to take advantage of the Chinese market as e-commerce sales have recently rocketed, outpacing the US. However, some companies are still finding it difficult to protect their brands in China.
隨著最近中國(guó)電商銷售飛漲的速度超過(guò)美國(guó)，我們很容易理解為什么越來(lái)越多的西方企業(yè)想搭上中國(guó)市場(chǎng)的順風(fēng)車。然而，一些企業(yè)依然發(fā)現(xiàn)很難在中國(guó)保護(hù)自己的品牌。
In theory, trade mark protection in China should now be more straightforward but there are a number of significant pitfalls that businesses might not be aware of.
理論上，如今中國(guó)的商標(biāo)保護(hù)應(yīng)該更簡(jiǎn)單明了，但在這方面仍存在許多企業(yè)或許沒(méi)有意識(shí)到的巨大陷阱。
When registering a trade mark internationally, most companies will file for protection in China using the International Trade Mark System run by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). This should provide them with the same rights and protection as registering a trade mark in China. However, without a registration certificate written in Chinese, businesses are likely to find it difficult to enforce their rights.
在國(guó)際上注冊(cè)商標(biāo)時(shí)，多數(shù)企業(yè)都會(huì)利用世界知識(shí)產(chǎn)權(quán)組織(World Intellectual Property Organisation)管理的國(guó)際商標(biāo)體系(International Trade Mark System)申請(qǐng)?jiān)谌A受保護(hù)。這理應(yīng)為它們提供與在華注冊(cè)商標(biāo)相同的權(quán)利和保護(hù)。但是，如果手中沒(méi)有一份中文的商標(biāo)注冊(cè)證，這些企業(yè)很可能會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)很難行使自己的權(quán)利。
There are other pitfalls that western businesses need to be aware of. For example, using the registered trade mark symbol ® without having a valid trade mark registered for the brand name in China could result in a fine equivalent to 20 per cent of the company’s turnover.
西方企業(yè)還需要注意一些別的陷阱。例如，如果企業(yè)使用了注冊(cè)商標(biāo)標(biāo)志®，卻沒(méi)有在中國(guó)為該品牌名稱注冊(cè)有效的商標(biāo)，可能會(huì)招致相當(dāng)于該企業(yè)年?duì)I業(yè)額20%的罰款。
Most companies are not aware that this is an offence that is strictly enforced by the Chinese government and some are finding that their goods are being counterfeited and registered in China, but are not able to prevent infringement because they do not have a Chinese version of their trade mark.
大多數(shù)企業(yè)沒(méi)有意識(shí)到這是一種受到中國(guó)政府嚴(yán)格監(jiān)管的違法行為。另外，一些企業(yè)發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的產(chǎn)品在中國(guó)被偽造并被注冊(cè)，但它們卻無(wú)法阻止這些侵權(quán)行為，因?yàn)樗鼈儧](méi)有中國(guó)版商標(biāo)。
A recent example of this rule being applied is the case of French wine company, Castel, being hit with a $5m fine for trade mark infringement. Castel had been using ‘Ka Si Li’, the Chinese translation, for its marketing in China but had failed to obtain a Chinese trade mark.
最近一個(gè)應(yīng)用該規(guī)定的例子是，法國(guó)紅酒公司卡思黛樂(lè)(Castel)因商標(biāo)侵權(quán)行為而被處以500萬(wàn)美元罰款。卡思黛樂(lè)此前一直使用中文譯名“卡斯特”在華銷售，但沒(méi)能搞到中國(guó)版商標(biāo)。
This created a window of opportunity for the owner of a Shanghai-based wine company who recognised the popularity of the product and registered the trade mark itself. When discovering that Shanghai Banti Wine and its owner Li Daozhi had been using the name ‘Ka Si Li’ to sell its wine, Castel attempted to get his trade mark revoked but failed and instead they were fined for infringement.
這給上海一家紅酒公司的所有人創(chuàng)造了可乘之機(jī)，這個(gè)人知道該產(chǎn)品的知名度，并注冊(cè)了這一商標(biāo)。當(dāng)發(fā)現(xiàn)上海班提酒業(yè)公司及其所有人李道之一直在使用“卡斯特”的名字銷售紅酒后，卡思黛樂(lè)試圖讓有關(guān)部門撤銷李道之的商標(biāo)，但未能成功，卡思黛樂(lè)反而因商標(biāo)侵權(quán)被處以罰款。
Counterfeit goods can have a detrimental effect on sales and brand image and, in order to combat this, western companies need to ensure they have trade marks in place for marketing they intend to use in China.
冒牌商品可對(duì)正品的銷量及品牌形象造成不利影響。為防止這種情況，西方企業(yè)需要確保搞到它們打算在中國(guó)用于營(yíng)銷的商標(biāo)。
The number of trade mark registrations in China has significantly increased in the past year as businesses hope to tap into the thriving marketplace but awareness of trade mark rules is still patchy. If western companies wish to take their products to market in China they need to be aware of the potential pitfalls and seek advice before doing so.
由于企業(yè)希望打入蓬勃發(fā)展的中國(guó)市場(chǎng)，過(guò)去一年里，在華商標(biāo)注冊(cè)數(shù)量顯著增加。但企業(yè)對(duì)中國(guó)商標(biāo)法規(guī)的認(rèn)識(shí)仍不完善。如果西方企業(yè)希望在中國(guó)銷售其產(chǎn)品，它們需要意識(shí)到可能存在的陷阱，并在付諸行動(dòng)前尋求意見(jiàn)。
In terms of enforcement, China’s State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) have a significant number of officials who will enforce intellectual property rights on behalf of western companies relatively cheaply, but selecting the right person, with the right experience to act for a business can be difficult and may require on-the-ground knowledge.
在執(zhí)法方面，中國(guó)國(guó)家工商行政管理總局中有很多官員會(huì)以相對(duì)便宜的費(fèi)用代表西方企業(yè)行使其知識(shí)產(chǎn)權(quán)，但選擇擁有適當(dāng)企業(yè)代理經(jīng)驗(yàn)的正確人選可能并非易事，或許需要實(shí)地了解。
