CNIPA’s Trademark Examination and Trial Guide (No. 462) Comes into Effect
The detailed guidelines for Trademark Examination and Trial, which were issued by China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) in November 2021, came into effect on 1 January 2022. They represent a significant development in trademark regulation in China, expanding considerably the previous Trademark Examination and Trial Standards, which they supersede.
The Guidelines are divided into two sections: the first, comprising 25 chapters, provides detailed guidance in relation to all aspects of trademark examination as well as clarifying standards for trademark renewal, alteration and transfer. It also explains procedures relating to Madrid trademark international registration applications and oppositions.
The second section, comprising 19 Chapters, provides substantive guidance, including by way of illustrative cases, in relation to the principles, scope and basic concepts of trademark examination and trial; dealing, in particular, with important issue such as bad-faith trademark applications, which have in the past created particular problems.
国家知识产权局发布《商标审查审理指南》（第462号）
发文日期：2021-11-16
生效日期：2021-11-16
国家知识产权局发布《商标审查审理指南》（以下简称《指南》），自2022年1月1日起施行，原《商标审查及审理标准》同时废止。
《指南》分为上编“形式审查和事务工作编”与下编“商标审查审理编”。《指南》在“形式审查和事务工作编”的25章内容中，规定了形式审查一般性要求，细化了商标各项业务形式审查工作标准，规定了商品服务分类、商标文字检索要素分类、图形要素分类以及其他检索要素分类，明确了商标续展、变更、转让等程序的审查标准，说明了马德里商标国际注册申请、异议以及后续业务等各项业务审查标准等。
在“商标审查审理编” 的19章内容中，规定了商标审查审理原则、范围和基本概念，针对不以使用为目的的恶意商标注册申请、抢注他人在先使用商标等情形，明确了法律依据、释义、适用情形、考虑因素，嵌入了指导案例。
Jagermeister Invalidates ‘Yege Hagoles’ Trademark
2021-11-18
Jagermeister is a well-known herbal digestif liqueur produced by the German Jagermeister Company. In China, the Jagermeister liqueur is known as ‘Ye Ge’. Jagermeister Company registered various trademarks in China in relation to alcoholic beverages in Class 33, including ‘Ye Ge’:
No. 5614224 Jagermeister’s ‘ Ye Ge ‘ trademark.
It subsequently discovered that a third party had registered the trademark ‘Yege Hagoles’ in relation to alcoholic beverages in Class 33. Jagermeister applied to the CNIPA to invalidate that registration:
No. 31027236 ‘ Yege Hagoles’ trademark.
CNIPA determined that the disputed No. 31027236 ‘Yege Hagoles’ trademark had been approved for use in relation to liqueurs, including the Japanese distilled beverage shochu, and other related products i.e. products identical to the products in relation to which Jagermeister’s ‘Ye Ge’ mark No. 5614224 was registered. The text, composition and pronunciation of the marks were similar, and the ‘Yege Hagoles’ mark contained within it the entire ‘Ye Ge’ mark in Chinese characters. It was likely that consumers would be confused and misled as to the origin of the goods and the disputed mark should be invalidated.
野格公司成功无效野格哈古雷斯商标
日期：2021-11-18
Jagermeister是德国马斯特•扎格米斯特公司生产的一种著名烈酒。在中国被称为“野格”。马斯特•扎格米斯特公司在中国注册了与33类酒精饮料有关的各种商标，包括“野格”：
第5614224号“野格”商标
马斯特•扎格米斯特公司随后发现，第三方在第33类酒精饮料上注册了“野格哈古雷斯”商标，并向中国知识产权局提出无效宣告请求：
第31027236号“野格哈古雷斯”
国家知识产权局在裁定书中认定，争议商标（即第31027236号“野格哈古雷斯”商标）指定使用的‘烧酒；利口酒’等商品与引证商标（即第5614224号‘野格’商标）核定使用的‘烧酒；利口酒’等商品属于同一种或类似商品，争议商标“野格哈古雷斯”完整包含引证商标‘野格’，双方在商标文字构成、呼叫上相近，已构成近似标识， 同时在上述同一种或类似商品上，易使消费者对商品来源产生混淆误认，最终争议商标被宣告无效。
Tencent Awarded Compensation of 25 Million Yuan (approx. US$ 4,000,000) in Copyright Infringement Action against GwebTop, Hero Entertainment and other Defendants
2021-12-16
Tencent, the Chinese multi-national technology and entertainment conglomerate, owns the rights in a hugely successful online shooter game, Crossfire. It discovered that a competing game, Crisis Action, developed by GwebTop Company and published by Hero Entertainment Company, contained artistic images comprising multiple game maps, small maps, and multiple props and firearms that were the same as, or substantially similar to, those in the Crossfire game in terms of operating structure, layout settings, color matching, and modeling design. It commenced a copyright infringement action in the Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court against seven companies involved in the development, promotion and operation of the Crisis Action game, seeking an injunction, an apology and compensation of 98 million yuan (approx. US$ 15,500,000).
The court of first instance held that the six game maps in Crisis Action were substantially similar to the game maps in Crossfire and infringed copyright. It ordered GwebTop Company and Hero Entertainment Company to compensate Tencent in the sum of 45 million yuan (US$ 7,117,000).
Both the Plaintiff and the Defendants appealed to the Guangdong Higher People’s Court. The Guangdong Higher People’s Court held that four of the game maps in Crisis Action reproduced images contained in the Crossfire game, and that GwebTop Company and Hero Entertainment Company had violated Tencent’s reproduction right and information network transmission right. It ordered the Defendants to cease the infringement and compensate Tencent for economic losses, in the sum of 25 million yuan (US$ 4,000,000).
腾讯公司诉英雄互娱公司、畅游云端公司，获赔2500万元
日期：2021-12-16
《全民枪战》是由畅游云端公司开发、英雄互娱发行的一款射击类手机游戏。在日常运营中，腾讯公司发现《全民枪战》中的多个游戏地图、小地图及多个道具枪械的美术形象与《穿越火线》在运行结构、布局设置、色彩搭配、造型设计等方面相同或实质性相似。腾讯认为《全民枪战》涉嫌侵犯其享有的《穿越火线》游戏著作权，腾讯公司遂将开发、运营《全民枪战》的7家公司诉至深圳中院，要求停止侵权，赔礼道歉并赔偿经济损失等共计9800万元。
一审法院认为《全民枪战》的6幅游戏地图与《穿越火线》相应游戏地图构成实质性相似，构成著作权侵权，判决畅游云端公司、英雄互娱公司须赔偿腾讯公司4500万余元。
一审判决后，原被告双方均不服，分别上诉至广东省高级人民法院（下称广东高院）。广东高院认为《全民枪战》的4幅游戏地图抄袭了《穿越火线》的“运输船”等游戏地图，畅游云端公司、英雄互娱公司侵犯了腾讯公司的复制权及信息网络传播权，判决被告停止侵权并赔偿腾讯公司经济损失等共计2500万元。
资料来源：中国知识产权资讯网 2021-12-16
新闻链接：http://www.iprchn.com/cipnews/news_content.aspx?newsId=132254
CNIPA Suspends or Revokes licences of Nine Patent Agencies
Following a strengthening in supervision of patent agencies, CNIPA recently revoked or suspended the licences of eight patent agencies for having filed a large number of irregular patent applications i.e. applications that do not aim to protect innovation, or the contents of which are obviously the same as, or plagiarize, existing technology or designs, or involve a simple substitution of materials, components, proportions, components, etc. Such applications constitute ‘abnormal applications’ for the purposes of the Provisions on Standardizing Patent Application Behavior. The above-mentioned eight agencies had been “engaging in abnormal patent applications and seriously disrupting the order of patent work” as stipulated in Article 51 of the “Administrative Measures for Patent Agents”. This constitutes “negligence in management, causing serious consequences” and “serious circumstances” as stipulated in Article 25 of the “Patent Agency Regulations”.
CNIPA imposed administrative penalties on these agencies, revoking their practice licenses or ordering them not to undertake new business for 6 to 12 months, depending on the nature of their activity.
It revoked the licence of a ninth agency, which had fabricated utility model patents, and received unlawful income.
国家知识产权局依法吊销、停业9家代理机构
日期：2021-12-22
国家知识产权局在专利申请质量监测工作中发现，有8家代理机构不以保护创新为目的的非正常专利申请数量特别巨大，存在大量内容明显相同或者明显抄袭现有技术、现有设计或者不同材料、组分、配比、部件等简单替换、拼凑等情形，构成《关于规范专利申请行为的若干规定》所指的非正常申请。上述8家机构代理此类非正常申请，构成《专利代理管理办法》第五十一条规定的“从事非正常专利申请行为，严重扰乱专利工作秩序”的行为，且代理数量巨大，属于《专利代理条例》第二十五条规定的“疏于管理，造成严重后果”且“情节严重”之情形。
国家知识产权局经法定程序，根据不同机构的违法情节，对其分别作出吊销执业许可证或责令停止承接新业务6至12个月的行政处罚。
2013至2017年，上述9家机构的另一家代理机构中，其业务员伙同他人编造实用新型专利，并据此申报领取知识产权奖励资金，同时还存在非法谋取不正当利益等情形。国家知识产权局经法定程序，作出吊销其专利代理机构执业许可证的处罚。
资料来源：国家知识产权局 2021-12-22
新闻链接：https://www.cnipa.gov.cn/art/2021/12/22/art_53_172363.html
Global Head of Dispute Resolution, Rouse
dclark@rouse.com
