The official trademark fees in China have been reduced by 50% as of 1 April 2017. The fee reductions relate to trademark application fees, renewal fees, fees for a change of name, assignments and license agreements, and opposition and cancellation fees.
We advise trademark owners to register their marks in China, as trademarks are not automatically protected there just through use. A registered trademark is also necessary to safeguard the import of goods manufactured in China. Companies operating in China should also protect their trademark in Chinese characters.
Due to the fee reductions, it is now possible to significantly cut costs of trademark protection in China. So don’t let your trademark be hijacked – a registered trademark is practically the only, and by far the most cost-efficient, option you have to protect your rights.
For more information, please contact our European trademark attorney Heidi Mikkola.
Read more about protecting trademarks in China in our blog post.
The IP rights environment has become very internationally-focused lately. IP owners have many opportunities to protect their IP rights globally, but enforcement of IP rights is still mainly based on national requirements and processes with country specifics and peculiarities. This is also the case in Russia.
European patent attorney Matti Ylitalo (M.Sc. (Tech.)) has been appointed patent attorney at Papula-Nevinpat on 2 May 2018. Matti has wide expertise as a patent attorney, specializing in various technical fields, such as mechanics, engineering materials, electronics, medical engineering, as well as power plant, automation and antenna technology.
As from now on it should be possible to make only one customs application instead of 5. This brings financial benefits to intellectual property owners.
The trust that the entire patent system enjoys is dependent on how fair do the companies see the way patents benefit their owners. The lighting industry should now keep the business hot while maintaining a cool head, especially when it comes to IP.
