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(Adopted at the 24th Session of the Standing Committee of the Fifth National People's Congress on 23 August 1982, revised for the first time according to the Decision on the Amendment of the Trademark Law of the People's Republic of China adopted at the 30th Session of the Standing Committee of the Seventh National People's Congress, on 22 February 1993, and revised for the second time according to the Decision on the Amendment of the Trademark Law of the People's Republic of China adopted at the 24th Session of the Standing Committee of the Ninth National People's Congress on 27 October 2001.) Chapter l General Provisions Article 1 This Law is enacted for the purposes of improving the administration of trademarks, protecting the exclusive right to use trademarks, and of encouraging producers and operators to guarantee the quality of their goods and services and maintaining the reputation of their trademarks, with a view to protecting the interests of consumers, producers and operators and to promoting the development of the socialist market economy.
Article 2 The Trademark Office of the administrative authority for
industry and commerce under the State Council shall be responsible for
the registration and administration of trademarks throughout the
country.
Article 3 Registered trademarks mean trademarks that have been approved
and registered by the Trademark Office, including trademarks, service
marks, collective marks and certification marks; the trademark
registrants shall enjoy the exclusive right to use the trademarks, and
be protected by law.
Article 4 Any natural person, legal entity or other organization
intending to acquire the exclusive right to use a trademark for the
goods produced, manufactured, processed, selected or marketed by it or
him, shall file an application for the registration of the trademark
with the Trademark Office. Any natural person, legal entity or other
organization intending to acquire the exclusive right to use a service
mark for the service provided by it or him, shall file an application
for the registration of the service mark with the Trademark Office. Article 5 Two or more natural persons, legal entities or other organizations may jointly file an application for the registration for the same trademark with the Trademark Office, and jointly enjoy and exercise the exclusive right to use the trademark. Article 6 As for any of such goods, as prescribed by the State, that must bear a registered trademark, a trademark registration must be applied for. Where no trademark registration has been granted, such goods cannot be marketed. Article 7 Any user of a trademark shall be responsible for the quality of the goods in respect of which the trademark is used. The administrative authorities for industry and commerce at different levels shall, through the administration of trademarks, stop any practice that deceives consumers. Article 8 In respect of any visual sign capable of distinguishing the goods or service of one natural person, legal entity or any other organization from that of others, including any word, design, letters of an alphabet, numerals, three-dimensional symbol, combinations of colours, and their combination, an application may be filed for registration.
Article 9 Any trademark in respect of which an application for
registration is filed shall be so distinctive as to be distinguishable,
and shall not conflict with any prior right acquired by another person.
Article 10 The following signs shall not be used as trademarks:
Article 11 The following signs shall not be registered as trademarks: Article 12 Where an application is filed for registration of a three-dimensional sign as a trademark, any shape derived from the goods itself, required for obtaining the technical effect, or giving the goods substantive value, shall not be registered.
Article 13 Where a trademark in respect of which the application for
registration is filed for use for identical or similar goods is a
reproduction, imitation or translation of another person's trademark not
registered in China and likely to cause confusion, it shall be rejected
for registration and prohibited from use.
Article 14 Account shall be taken of the fol1owing factors in
establishment of a well-known mark: Article 15 Where any agent or representative registers, in its or his own name, the trademark of a person for whom it or he acts as the agent or representative without authorization therefrom, and the latter raises opposition, the trademark shall be rejected for registration and prohibited from use.
Article 16 Where a trademark contains a geographic indication of the
goods in respect of which the trademark is used, the goods is not from
the region indicated therein and it misleads the public, it shall be
rejected for registration and prohibited from use; however, any
trademark that has been registered in good faith shall remain valid. Article 17 Any foreign person or foreign enterprise intending to apply for the registration of a trademark in China shall file an application in accordance with any agreement concluded between the People's Republic of China and the country to which the applicant belongs, or according to the international treaty to which both countries are parties, or on the basis of the principles of reciprocity. Article 18 Any foreign person or foreign enterprise intending to apply for the registration of a trademark or for any other matters concerning a trademark in China sha1l appoint any of such organizations as designated by the State to act as its or his agent. Chapter II Application for Trademark Registration Article 19 An applicant for the registration of a trademark shall, in a form, indicate, in accordance with the prescribed classification of goods, the class of the goods and the designation of the goods in respect of which the trademark is to be used. Article 20 Where any applicant for registration of a trademark intends to use the same trademark for goods in different classes, an application for registration shall be filed in respect of each class of the prescribed classification of goods. Article 21 Where a registered trademark is to be used in respect of other goods of the same class, a new application for registration shall be filed. Article 22 Where the sign of a registered trademark is to be altered, a new registration shall be applied for. Article 23 Where, after the registration of a trademark, the name, address or other registered matters concerning the registrant change, an application regarding the change shall be filed.
Article 24 Any aPp1icant for the registration of a trademark who files
an application for registration of the same trademark for identica1
goods in China within six months from the date of filing the first
application for the trademark registration overseas may enjoy the right
of priority in accordance with any agreement concluded between the
People's Republic of China and the country to which the applicant
belongs, or according to the international treaty to which both
countries are parties, or on the basis of the principle whereby each
acknowledges the right of priority of the other.
Article 25 Where a trademark is first used for goods in an international
exhibition on sponsored or recognized by me Chinese Government, the
applicant for the registration of the trademark may enjoy the right of
priority within six months from the date of exhibition of the goods. Article 26 The matters reported and materials submitted in the application for trademark registration shall be true, accurate and complete. Chapter lII Examination for and Approval of Trademark Registration Article 27 Where a trademark the registration of which has been applied for is in conformity with the relevant provisions of this Law, the Trademark Office shall, after examination, preliminarily approve the trademark and publish it. Article 28 Where a trademark the registration of which has been applied for is not in conformity with the relevant provisions of this Law, or it is identical with or similar to the trademark of another person that has, in respect of the same or similar goods, been registered or, after examination, preliminarily approved, the Trademark Office shall refuse the application and shall not publish the said trademark. Article 29 Where two or more applicants apply for the registration of identical or similar trademarks for the same or similar goods, the preliminary approval, after examination, and the publication shall be made for the trademark which was first filed. Where applications are filed on the same day, the preliminary approval, after examination, and the publication shall be made for the trademark which was the earliest used, and the applications of the others shall be refused and their trademarks shall not be published. Article 30 Any person may, within three months from the date of the publication, file an opposition against the trademark that has, after examination, been preliminarily approved. If no opposition has been filed after the expiration of the time limit from the publication, the registration shall be approved, a certificate of trademark registration shall be issued and the trademark shall be published. Article 31 An application for the registration of a trademark shall not create any prejudice to the prior right of another person, nor unfair means be used to pre-emptively register the trademark of some reputation another person has used.
Article 32 Where the application for registration of a trademark is
refused and no publication of the trademark is made, the Trademark
Office shall notify the applicant of the same in writing. Where the
applicant is dissatisfied, he may, within fifteen days from receipt of
the notice, file an application with the Trademark Review and
Adjudication Board for a review. The Trademark Review and Adjudication
Board shall make a decision and notify 'the applicant in writing.
Article 33 Where an opposition is filed against the trademark that has,
after examination, been preliminarily approved and published, the
Trademark Office shall hear both the opponent and applicant state facts
and grounds, and shall, after investigation and verification, make a
decision. Where any party is dissatisfied, it or he may within fifteen
days from receipt of the notification, apply for a reexamination, and
the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board shall make a decision and
notify both the opponent and applicant in writing.
Article 34 Where the interested party does not, within the statutory
time limit, apply for the reexamination of the adjudication by the
Trademark Office or does not institute legal proceedings in respect of
the adjudication by the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board, the
adjudication takes effect. Article 35 Any application for trademark registration and trademark reexamination shall be examined in due course.
Article 36 Where any trademark registration applicant or registrant
finds any obvious errors in the trademark registration documents or
application documents, it or he may apply for correction thereof The
Trademark Office shall ex officio make the correction according to law
and notify the interested party of the correction. Chapter IV Renewal, Assignment and Licensing of Registered Trademarks Article 37 The period of validity of a registered trademark shall be ten years, counted from the date of approval of the registration.
Article 38 Where the registrant intends to continue to use the
registered trademark beyond the expiration of the period of validity, an
application for renewal of the registration shall be made within six
months before the said expiration. Where no application therefore has
been filed within the said period, a grace period of six months may be
allowed. If no application has been filed at the expiration the grace
period, the registered trademark shall be cancelled.
Article 39 Where a registered trademark is assigned, the assignor and
assignee shall conclude a contract for the assignment, and jointly file
an application with the trademark Office. The assignee shall guarantee
the quality of the goods in respect of which the registered trademark is
used.
Article 40 Any trademark registrant may, by signing a trademark license
contract, authorize other persons to use his registered trademark. The
licensor shall supervise the quality of the goods in respect of which
the licensee uses his registered trademark, and the licensee shall
guarantee the quality of the goods in respect of which the registered
Trademark is used. Chapter V Adjudication of Disputes Concerning Registered Trademarks
Article 41 Where a registered trademark stands in violation of the
provisions of Articles 10, 11 and 12 of this Law, or the registration of
a trademark was acquired by fraud or any other unfair means, the
Trademark Office shall cancel the registered trademark in question; and
any other organization or individual may request the Trademark Review
and Ad judication Board to make an adjudication to cancel such a
registered trademark. Article 42 Where a trademark, before its being approved for registration, has been the object of opposition and decision, no application for adjudication may be filed based on the same facts and grounds.
Article 43 After the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board has made an
adjudication either to maintain or to cancel a registered trademark, it
shall notify the interested parties of the same in writing. Chapter Vl Administration of the Use of Trademarks
Article 44 Where any person who uses a registered trademark has
committed any of the following, the Trademark Office shall order him to
rectify the situation within a specified period or even cancel the
registered trademark: Article 45 Where a registered trademark is used in respect of the goods that have been roughly or poorly manufactured, or whose superior quality has been replaced by inferior quality, so that consumers are deceived, the administrative authorities for industry and commerce at different levels shall, according to the circumstances, order rectification of the situation within a specified period, and may, in addition, circulate a notice of criticism or impose a fine, and the Trademark Office may even cancel the registered trademark. Article 46 Where a registered trademark has been cancelled or has not been renewed at the expiration, the Trademark Office shall, during one year from the date of the cancellation or removal thereof, approve no application for the registration of a trademark that is identical with or similar to the said trademark. Article 47 Where any person violates the provisions of Article 6 of this Law, the local administrative authority for industry and commerce shall order him to file an application for the registration within a specified period, and may, in addition, impose a fine.
Article 48 Where any person who uses an unregistered trademark has
committed any of the following, the local administrative authority for
industry and commerce shall stop the use of the trademark, order him to
rectify the situation within a specified period, and may, in addition,
circulate a notice of criticism or impose a fine:
Article 49 Any party dissatisfied with the decision of the Trademark
Office to cancel a registered trademark may, within fifteen days from
receipt of the corresponding notice, apply for a review. The Trademark
Review and Adjudication Board shall make a decision and notify the
applicant in writing. Article 50 Any party dissatisfied with the decision of the administrative authority for industry and commerce to impose a fine under the provisions of Article 45, Article 47 or Article 48 may, within fifteen days from receipt of the corresponding notice, institute legal proceedings with the People's Court. If there have been instituted no legal proceedings or made no performance of the decision at the expiration of the said period, the administrative authority for industry and commerce may request the People's Court for compulsory execution thereof. Chapter VII Protection of the Exclusive Rights to Use Registered Trademarks Article 51 The exclusive right to use a registered trademark is limited to the trademark which has been approved for registration and to the goods in respect of which the use of the trademark has been approved.
Article 52 Any of the following acts shall be an infringement of the
exclusive right to use a registered trademark: Article 53 Where any party has committed any of such acts to infringe the exclusive right to use a registered trademark as provided for in Article 52 of this Law and has caused a dispute, the interested parties shall resolve the dispute through consultation; where they are reluctant to resolve the matter through consultation or the consultation fails, the trademark registrant or interested party may institute legal proceedings in the People's Court or request the administrative authority for industry and commerce for actions. Where it is established that the infringing act is constituted in its handling the matter, the administrative authority for industry and commerce handling the matter shall order the infringer to immediately stop the infringing act, confiscate and destroy the infringing goods and tools specially used for the manufacture of the infringing goods and for counterfeiting the representations of the registered trademark, and impose a fine. Where any interested party is dissatisfied with decision on handling the matter, it or he may, within fifteen days from the date of receipt of the notice, institute legal proceedings in the People's Court according to the Administrative Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China. If there have been instituted no legal proceedings or made on performance of the decision at the expiration of the said period, the administrative authority for industry and commerce shall request the People's Court for compulsory execution thereof. The administrative authority for industry and commerce handling the matter may, upon the request of the interested party, medicate on the amount of compensation for the infringement of the exclusive right to use the trademark; where the medication fails, the interested party may institute legal proceedings in the People's Court according to the Civil Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China. Article 54 The administrative authority for industry and commerce has the power to investigate and handle any act of infringement of the exclusive right to use a registered trademark according to law; where the case is so serious as to constitute a crime, it shall be transferred to the judicial authority for handling.
Article 55 When investigating and handling an act suspected of
infringement of a registered trademark, the administrative authority for
industry and commerce at or above the county level may, according to the
obtained evidence of the suspected violation of law or informed offence,
exercise the following functions and authorities:
Article 56 The amount of damages shall be the profit that the infringer
has earned because of the infringement in the period of the infringement
or the injury that the infringee has suffered from the infringement in
the period of the infringement, including the appropriate expenses of
the infringee for stopping the infringement.
Article 57 Where a trademark registrant or interested party who has
evidence to show that another person is committing or will commit an
infringement of the right to use its or his registered trademark, and
that failure to promptly stop the infringement will cause irreparable
damages to its or his legitimate rights and interests, it or he may file
an application with the People's Court to order cessation of the
relevant act and to take measures for property preservation before
instituting legal proceedings in the People's Court.
Article 58 In order to stop an infringing act, any trademark registrant
or interested party may file an application with the People's Court for
preservation of the evidence before instituting legal proceedings in the
People's Court where the evidence will possibly be destroyed or lost or
difficult to be obtained again in the future. The People's Court must
make adjudication within forty-eight hours after receipt of the
application; where it is decided to take the preservative measures, the
measures shall be executed immediately. The People's Court may order the
applicant to place guaranty; where the applicant fails to place the
guaranty, the application shall be rejected.
Article 59 Where any party uses, without the authorization from the
trademark registrant, a trademark identical with a registered trademark,
and the case is so serious as to constitute a crime, he shall be
prosecuted, according to law, for his criminal liabilities in addition
to his compensation for the damages suffered by the infringee.
Article 60 The State functionaries for the registration, administration
and reexamination of trademarks must handle cases according to law, be
incorruptible and disciplined, devoted to their duties and courteous and
honest in their provision of service. Article 61 The administrative authority for industry and commerce shall establish and amplify its internal supervision system to supervise and inspect the State functionaries for the registration, administration and reexamination of trademarks in their implementation of the laws and administrative regulations and in their observation of the discipline. Article 62 Where any State functionary for the registration, administration and reexamination of trademarks neglects his duty, abuses his power, engages in malpractice for personal gain, handles the registration, administration and reexamination of trademarks in violation of law, accepts money or material wealth from any interested party or seeks illicit interest, which constitutes a crime, he or she shall be prosecuted for his or her criminal liabi1ity. If the case is not serious enough to constitute a crime, he or she shall be given disciplinary sanction according to law. Chapter VIII Supplementary Provisions Article 63 Any application for a trademark registration and for other matters concerning a trademark shall be subject to payment of the fees as prescribed. The schedule of fees shall be prescribed separately. Article 64 This Law shall enter into force on March l, l983. The "Regulations Governing Trademarks" promulgated by the State Council on April l0, l963 shall be abrogated on the same date, and any other provisions concerning trademarks contrary to this Law shall cease to be effective at the same time. Trademarks registered before this Law enters into force shall continue to be valid.
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