Must I Register My Company Name as a Trademark in China?
No two China trademark strategies are the same, but one thing is pretty much a constant: You should register the company’s original English name. Before we go on, a clarification: I use “English name” as shorthand, but these names are often in other languages, or simply be a random collection of Latin letters. Names in
The Problem with Online Trademark Services for China
The Problem with Online Trademark Services for China Once or twice a month, my law firm’s international trademark lawyers are contacted by companies whose China trademark registrations were mishandled by online trademark services. In all instances, the registration problems stem from online services claiming they can register trademarks globally, including in China. These claims are
China Trademarks: Register via Madrid or in China?
Whenever clients ask about filing a trademark in China via the Madrid System, my answer is simple: filing a national application directly with China’s own Trademark Office is better. The one-size-fits-all Madrid process makes registering a trademark in China seem easy. Really easy: all you have to do is check a box marked “China.” However, while Madrid applications are
China Distribution Contracts: The Basics
China Distribution Contracts: Same-Same but Different Ever since COVID, our China lawyers have been seeing a big increase in foreign companies entering into distribution contracts with Chinese distributors, due mostly to the difficulties and risks foreign companies face when they go into China directly. Many of the companies that come to us to draft their
China Domain Name Scam Emails, Trademark Scam Emails, and the Devil that is Sinosure
Yesterday, in How To Stop China-Based Domain Name Theft, we talked about what to do if someone from China (or pretty much anywhere else, for that matter) has stolen your domain name: Companies confronted with domain name theft oftentimes do not realize how relatively easy it can be to put a stop to it, even
How To Stop China-Based Domain Name Theft
Domain Name Trademark Infringement The integrity of a brand’s identity is paramount. Unfortunately, the rise of digital commerce has generated new forms of intellectual property challenges, notably domain name trademark infringement. This issue is especially prevalent for companies interacting with or manufacturing in markets such as China, where rapid registration of similar domain names by
Reduce Your Counterfeit Risks by Recording Your Trademark With China Customs
As we have written a number of times, the essential first step in any China IP strategy is to register your trademarks with China’s Trademark Office. Because China is a first-to-file country, until you register a trademark in China you have no rights in that trademark in China. But a trademark registration alone goes only
How To Protect Your Brand In Vietnam and China and the Rest of the World Too
I wrote the below article many years ago with Gregory Buyoff, a good friend, a brilliant international IP lawyer, and the most knowledgeable person I’ve ever known on Vietnam history. Intellectual Property Magazine published this article, but it no longer shows up on its website so I am running it here (with a few updates),
China Trademark Classes and Strategies
As we have written many times over the years, if you are selling goods into China, sourcing goods from China, or just doing business in/with China, you should probably register trademarks in China for your brand names and logos. China is a first-to-file country and it does not require evidence of prior use. This means