The Fujian Higher People’s Court issued a judgment on 27 September 2021 awarding Emerson Electric Co (“Emerson”), a US company damages in the amount of RMB1.6 million payable by the defendants (two affiliated Xiamen companies, the main shareholder of the Xiamen companies and the trade mark agent) in China for having registered Emerson’s trade marks […]
By Benjamin Choi, Managing Director To brand owners it is a super bonus (or a nice surprise) to be able to designate the United Arab Emirates under the WIPO International Registration of Trade Mark and this is happening right after the Christmas holidays on 28 Dec 2021. The UAE is for sure one of the most […]
By Benjamin Choi, Managing Director As a leading commercial hub, Hong Kong is often viewed by foreign brand owners as an ideal gateway into Asia. However, local conditions – from the worth placed on family-run business to the impact of sky-high rents – are often under-estimated or misunderstood. Analysis of successful home-grown brands and some not-so-successful […]
By Benjamin Choi, Managing Director Hong Kong is expecting the launch of the International Registration (IR) of Trade Marks under the WIPO Madrid System by tentatively end of 2022 or early 2023. This will be in addition to the long established and territorial based trade mark registration system, whereby trade mark owners domiciled or incorporated in […]
By Benjamin Choi and Angel Luo The general principles in determining whether a trade mark can be registered in China are to a large extent the same as in most other countries, considering China is also one of many jurisdictions in the WIPO Madrid International Registration system. Indistinctive or descriptive marks which fail to achieve registration in […]
By Patricia Bodalo Distinction, that was the key. The day Louboutin took his assistant’s nail polish in 1993 and painted the sole of the shoe he was making, he was telling the entire world, or at least the European Union, that shoes with red soles must be Louboutin’s. In 2021, the French shoe designer is […]