國際品牌在華面對商標維權困境

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.

中國新商標法生效一年來，幾乎沒有跡象顯示國際品牌在華行使自己的權利正變得哪怕是略微容易一些。新法規的初衷在於，降低行使商標權的難度，並在侵犯知識產權問題上提供更大透明度和更有力的問責。

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.

隨着最近中國電商銷售飛漲的速度超過美國，我們很容易理解爲什麼越來越多的西方企業想搭上中國市場的順風車。然而，一些企業依然發現很難在中國保護自己的品牌。

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，如今中國的商標保護應該更簡單明瞭，但在這方面仍存在許多企業或許沒有意識到的巨大陷阱。

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.

在國際上註冊商標時，多數企業都會利用世界知識產權組織(World Intellectual Property Organisation)管理的國際商標體系(International Trade Mark System)申請在華受保護。這理應爲它們提供與在華註冊商標相同的權利和保護。但是，如果手中沒有一份中文的商標註冊證，這些企業很可能會發現很難行使自己的權利。

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.

西方企業還需要注意一些別的陷阱。例如，如果企業使用了註冊商標標誌®，卻沒有在中國爲該品牌名稱註冊有效的商標，可能會招致相當於該企業年營業額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.

大多數企業沒有意識到這是一種受到中國政府嚴格監管的違法行爲。另外，一些企業發現自己的產品在中國被僞造並被註冊，但它們卻無法阻止這些侵權行爲，因爲它們沒有中國版商標。

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.

最近一個應用該規定的例子是，法國紅酒公司卡思黛樂(Castel)因商標侵權行爲而被處以500萬美元罰款。卡思黛樂此前一直使用中文譯名“卡斯特”在華銷售，但沒能搞到中國版商標。

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造了可乘之機，這個人知道該產品的知名度，並註冊了這一商標。當發現上海班提酒業公司及其所有人李道之一直在使用“卡斯特”的名字銷售紅酒後，卡思黛樂試圖讓有關部門撤銷李道之的商標，但未能成功，卡思黛樂反而因商標侵權被處以罰款。

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.

冒牌商品可對正品的銷量及品牌形象造成不利影響。爲防止這種情況，西方企業需要確保搞到它們打算在中國用於營銷的商標。

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.

由於企業希望打入蓬勃發展的中國市場，過去一年裏，在華商標註冊數量顯著增加。但企業對中國商標法規的認識仍不完善。如果西方企業希望在中國銷售其產品，它們需要意識到可能存在的陷阱，並在付諸行動前尋求意見。

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.

在執法方面，中國國家工商行政管理總局中有很多官員會以相對便宜的費用代表西方企業行使其知識產權，但選擇擁有適當企業代理經驗的正確人選可能並非易事，或許需要實地瞭解。