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Implementing
Regulations of the Trademark Law of the People’s
Republic of China (Draft)
Regulations
for the Implementation of TM Law
Regulations
for the Implementation of the Trademark Law of the
People’s Republic of China
(Promulgated
by Decree No.358 of the State Council of the People’s
Republic of China on August 3, 2002, and effective as of
September 15, 2002)
Chapter
I General
Provisions
Article
1 These Regulations are formulated in accordance with
the Trademark Law of the People’s Republic of China
(hereinafter referred to as the Trademark Law).
Article
2 Provisions regarding the goods trademarks in these
Regulations shall apply to service marks.
Article
3 The use of a trademark, as referred to in the
Trademark Law and these Regulations, shall include the
use of the trademark on goods, packages or containers of
the goods or in trading documents, and the use of the
trademark in advertising, exhibition or any other
business activities.
Article
4 Goods on which the State requires the use of a
registered trademark, as mentioned in Article 6 of the
Trademark Law, refer to those on which a registered
trademark must be used as required by laws or
administrative regulations.
Article
5 Where a dispute arises in the procedures of trademark
registration or trademark review and adjudication and
the party concerned believes that its trademark
constitutes a well-known trademark, it may, in
accordance with the provisions of the Trademark Law and
these Regulations, request the Trademark Office or the
Trademark Review and Adjudication Board to determine
whether its trademark constitutes a well-known trademark
or not and to refuse the application for trademark
registration which is in violation of the provisions of
Article 13 of the Trademark Law or to cancel the
trademark registration which is in violation of the
provisions of Article 13 of the Trademark Law. When an
application for this purpose is filed, the party
concerned shall submit evidence to prove that its
trademark constitutes a well-known trademark.
At
the request of the party, the Trademark Office or the
Trademark Review and Adjudication Board shall, on the
basis of ascertaining the facts, determine whether its
trademark is a well-known one or not in accordance with
the provisions of Article 14 of the Trademark Law.
Article
6 For geographical indications referred to in Article 16
of the Trademark Law, applications may be filed to
register them as certification marks or collective marks
under the provisions of the Trademark Law and these
Regulations.
Where
a geographical indication is registered as a
certification mark, any natural person, legal person or
other organization whose goods satisfy the conditions
under which the geographical indication is used may
request the use of the certification mark, and the
organization in control of such certification mark shall
permit the use. Where a geographical indication is
registered as a collective mark, any natural person,
legal person or other organization whose goods satisfy
the conditions under which the geographical indication
is used may request the membership of the society,
association or any other organization that has the
geographical indication registered as a collective mark,
and the society, association or any other organization
shall accept the membership in accordance with its
articles of association; those who do not request the
membership of the society, association or any other
organization that has the geographical indication
registered as a collective mark may legitimately use the
geographical indication, and the society, association or
any other organization is not entitled to prohibit such
use.
Article
7 Where a party entrusts a trademark agency with the
application for registration of a trademark or with the
handling of other trademark matters, a Power of Attorney
shall be submitted. The Power of Attorney shall state
the contents and the scope of powers; the Power of
Attorney of a foreigner or foreign enterprise shall also
state the nationality of the principal.
Procedures
for notarizing and authenticating the Power of Attorney
and certifying documents relating thereto of a foreigner
or foreign enterprise shall be undertaken based on the
principle of reciprocity.
As
mentioned in Article 18 of the Trademark Law, a
foreigner or foreign enterprise refers to a foreigner or
foreign enterprise having no habitual residence or place
of business in China.
Article
8 The Chinese language shall be used in applying for
trademark registration or handling other trademark
matters.
Where
any certificate, certifying document or evidence
submitted in accordance with the provisions of the
Trademark Law and these Regulations is written in a
foreign language, a Chinese translation shall be
attached thereto; if no Chinese translation is attached,
it shall be deemed that the certificate, certifying
document or evidence has never been submitted.
Article
9 In any of the following situations, a staff member of
the Trademark Office or the Trademark Review and
Adjudication Board shall voluntarily recuse himself, and
a party or an interested person may demand his recusal:
(1)
if he is a party, or a close relative of a party or an
agent;
(2)
if he has any other relation with a party or an agent
that may affect impartiality; or
(3)
if he has an interest with the application for trademark
registration or the handling of other trademark matters.
Article
10 Except as otherwise provided in these Regulations,
the date on which a party submits documents or papers to
the Trademark Office or the Trademark Review and
Adjudication Board shall be the date of delivery if the
documents or papers are submitted in person, or be the
mailing date indicated by the postmark if they are sent
by mail, or, if the mailing date indicated by the
postmark is illegible or there is no postmark, be the
date on which all of the papers or documents are
received in the Trademark Office or the Trademark Review
and Adjudication Board, except if the party can provide
evidence of the exact date indicated by the postmark.
Article
11 The documents of the Trademark Office or the
Trademark Review and Adjudication Board may be sent to a
party by mail, in person or by other means. Where the
party entrusts a trademark agency, the documents shall
be considered served on the party once they are
delivered to the trademark agency.
The
date of service of any document on a party by the
Trademark Office or the Trademark Review and
Adjudication Board shall, if the document is sent by
mail, be the receiving date indicated by the postmark on
which the document is received; if the receiving date
indicated by the postmark is illegible or there is no
postmark, the document shall be considered served on the
party 15 days after the date on which the document is
sent. If the document is delivered in person, the date
of service shall be the date on which the document is
delivered. If the document cannot be sent by mail or
delivered in person, it may be served on the party by
means of public notice, and the service of the document
shall be considered completed 30 days after the date on
which the public notice is issued.
Article
12 Applications for international registration of
trademarks shall be dealt with in accordance with the
relevant international treaties to which China has
acceded. The specific measures therefor shall be
formulated by the authority of administration for
industry and commerce under the State Council.
Chapter
II Application
for Trademark Registration
Article
13 Anyone who applies for registration of a trademark
shall file an application based on the categories in the
published Classification of Goods and Services. For each
application for registration of a trademark, the
applicant shall submit to the Trademark Office one copy
of the Application for Trademark Registration and five
copies of reproductions of the trademark; if color or
colors is or are designated, five copies of colored
reproductions of the trademark and one copy of the black
and white design shall be submitted.
The
reproductions of a trademark must be clear, easy to be
pasted up, printed on smooth and clear durable paper or
use photographs as a substitute, and the length and
breadth of which shall be not more than ten centimeters
and not less than five centimeters each.
If
applying for the registration of a three-dimensional
sign as a trademark, the applicant shall make a
statement in the application, and submit a reproduction
thereof by which the three-dimensional shape can be
determined.
If
applying for the registration of the combination of
colors as a trademark, the applicant shall make a
statement in the application, and submit the
descriptions thereof.
If
applying for the registration of a collective mark or a
certification mark, the applicant shall make a statement
in the application, and submit the documents certifying
the qualifications of the subjects and the rules on the
administration of the use of the mark.
Where
a trademark is, or consists of, foreign words, their
Chinese meanings shall be indicated.
Article
14 When applying for the registration of a trademark,
the applicant shall submit a duplicated copy of the
valid credentials that can certify its identity. The
name in which the applicant has filed the application
for trademark registration shall be consistent with that
shown in the credentials submitted.
Article
15 The goods or services shall be listed as specified in
the Classification of Goods and Services; where any
goods or services are not included in the Classification
of Goods and Services, a description of the goods or
services in question shall be attached to the
application.
Applications
for trademark registration and other related documents
shall be typewritten or printed.
Article
16 Where an application is jointly filed for the
registration of a trademark, a representative shall be
designated in the application; if no representative is
designated, the first person in order in the application
shall be the representative.
Article
17 Where an applicant modifies its name, address, agent,
or deletes the goods designated, it may go through the
formalities of modification with the Trademark Office.
Where
an applicant assigns an application for trademark
registration, it shall go through the formalities of
assignment with the Trademark Office.
Article
18 The filing date of an application for trademark
registration shall be the date on which the application
documents are received by the Trademark Office. Where
the application formalities are complete and the
application documents are filled in as required, the
Trademark Office shall accept the application and notify
the applicant in writing. Where the application
formalities are not complete and the application
documents are not filled in as required, the Trademark
Office shall not accept the application and shall notify
the applicant in writing and give the reasons therefor.
Where
the application formalities are basically complete or
the application documents are basically in compliance
with the provisions, but there is a need for supplements
or amendments, the Trademark Office shall notify the
applicant to make supplements or amendments, requesting
it to make supplements or amendments to the specified
parts and deliver them back to the Trademark Office
within 30 days from the date of receipt of the
notification. Where the supplements or amendments are
made and delivered back to the Trademark Office within
the specified time limit, the filing date shall be
retained; where no supplements or amendments are made at
the expiration of the specified time limit, the
application shall be considered abandoned and the
Trademark Office shall notify the applicant in writing.
Article
19 Where two or more applicants apply respectively on
the same day for the registration of identical or
similar trademarks in respect of the same or similar
goods, both or all of the applicants shall, within 30
days from the date of receipt of the notification of the
Trademark Office, submit the evidence of prior use of
such trademarks before applying for registration. Where
the use started on the same day or none is yet in use,
both or all of the applicants may, within 30 days from
the date of receipt of the notification of the Trademark
Office, conduct consultations on their own and submit a
written agreement to the Trademark Office; if they are
not willing to conduct consultations or they fail to
reach an agreement through consultations, the Trademark
Office shall notify both or all of the applicants to
determine one of them by drawing lots and refuse the
applications for registration filed by others. Where an
applicant has been notified by the Trademark Office but
fails to participate in the drawing of lots, the
application filed by such an applicant shall be
considered abandoned, and the Trademark Office shall
notify the applicant in writing who does not participate
in the drawing of lots.
Article
20 Where a priority is claimed in accordance with the
provisions of Article 24 of the Trademark Law, the
copies of the application documents submitted by the
applicant for the first time for registering the
trademark in question shall be certified by the
competent trademark authority which accepts the said
application, and the filing date and serial number of
the application shall be indicated.
Where
a priority is claimed in accordance with the provisions
of Article 25 of the Trademark Law, the certifying
documents submitted by the applicant shall be
authenticated by the institution specified by the
authority of administration for industry and commerce
under the State Council, except that the international
exhibition on which the applicant’s goods are
displayed is held within Chinese territory.
Chapter
III Examination of Applications for Trademark
Registration
Article
21 The Trademark Office shall, in accordance with the
relevant provisions of the Trademark Law and these
Regulations, examine the applications for trademark
registration it has accepted, granting preliminary
approval to those that are in compliance with the
provisions and to the applications for the registration
of trademarks used on some of the designated goods that
are in compliance with the provisions, and publishing
them; the application that is not in compliance with the
provisions and the application for the registration of a
trademark used on some of the designated goods that is
not in compliance with the provisions shall be refused,
the applicant shall be notified in writing and the
reasons therefor shall be given.
Where
the Trademark Office grants preliminary approval to an
application for the registration of a trademark used on
some of the designated goods, the applicant may, before
the date on which the opposition period expires, apply
to abandon the application for the registration of the
trademark used on some of the designated goods; where
the applicant abandons the application for the
registration of a trademark used on some of the
designated goods, the Trademark Office shall withdraw
the previous preliminary approval, terminate the
examination proceedings and republish it.
Article
22 Where an opposition is filed against a trademark
which has been preliminarily approved and published by
the Trademark Office, the opponent shall submit in
duplicate an Application for Trademark Opposition to the
Trademark Office. The Application for Trademark
Opposition shall specify both the issue number of the
Trademark Gazette in which the opposed trademark is
published and the number of the preliminary approval.
The Application for Trademark Opposition shall state the
requests and grounds in plain terms, and the relevant
evidence shall be attached thereto.
The
Trademark Office shall promptly send a copy of the
Application for Trademark Opposition to the opposed
party, who shall be requested to make a response within
30 days from the date of receipt of the copy of the
Application for Trademark Opposition. If the opposed
party fails to make a response, it shall not affect the
Trademark Office’s ruling of the opposition.
Where
a party needs to supplement related evidence after
filing an application of opposition or making a
response, it shall make a statement for this purpose in
the application or in the response made in writing, and
submit the said evidence within three months from the
date on which the application is filed or the response
is made in writing; if no evidence is submitted at the
expiry of the time limit, the party shall be considered
given up the supplementing of related evidence.
Article
23 A justified opposition referred to in the second
paragraph of Article 34 of the Trademark Law shall
include the opposition that is justified for some of the
designated goods. If an opposition is justified for some
of the designated goods, the application for the
registration of the trademark on this part of the
designated goods shall not be approved.
Where
an opposed trademark is already published as a
registered trademark prior to the entry into force of
the ruling on the opposition, the publishing of the
registration shall be canceled, and the trademark the
registration of which has been approved upon the ruling
of the opposition shall be republished.
Where
the registration of a trademark has been approved upon
the ruling of an opposition, from the date of expiration
of the opposition period to the date of entry into force
of the ruling on the opposition, it shall have no
retroactive effect on the use by another party of the
marks that are identical or similar to the said
trademark on the same or similar goods. However, the
user shall make compensation for any loss suffered by
the trademark registrant as a result of the user’s bad
faith.
Where
the registration of a trademark has been approved upon
the ruling of an opposition, the period for filing an
application for review and adjudication thereof shall be
counted from the date on which the ruling on the
opposition to the said trademark is published.
Chapter
IV Modification, Assignment and Renewal of Registered
Trademarks
Article
24 Where the name or address of a trademark registrant
or any other registration matter is to be modified, the
applicant shall submit an application for modification
to the Trademark Office. The Trademark Office shall,
upon approval, issue a corresponding certification to
the trademark registrant and publish the modification;
if no approval is granted, the applicant shall be
notified in writing and the reasons therefor shall be
given.
Where
the name of a trademark registrant is to be modified,
the modification certification issued by the relevant
registration authorities shall be also submitted. If the
modification certification is not submitted, it may be
submitted within 30 days from the date on which the
application is filed; if it is not submitted at the
expiry of the time limit, the application for
modification shall be considered abandoned and the
Trademark Office shall notify the applicant in writing.
Where
the name or address of a trademark registrant is to be
modified, the trademark registrant shall make the
modification in respect of all its registered trademarks
in a lump; if they are not so modified, the application
for modification shall be considered abandoned and the
Trademark Office shall notify the applicant in writing.
Article
25 When a registered trademark is to be assigned, both
the assignor and assignee shall jointly send an
application for assignment of the registered trademark
to the Trademark Office. The assignee shall go through
the formalities for the application for assignment of
the registered trademark. The Trademark Office shall,
upon approval of the application for assignment of the
registered trademark, issue the assignee a corresponding
certification and publish the assignment.
Where
a registered trademark is to be assigned, the trademark
registrant shall assign in a lump all of its trademarks
that are identical or similar to each other in respect
of the same or similar goods; if they are not so
assigned, the Trademark Office shall notify it to
rectify the situation within a specified time limit; if
it fails to rectify it at the expiry of the said time
limit, the application for assignment of the registered
trademark shall be considered abandoned, and the
Trademark Office shall notify the applicant in writing.
With
respect to applications for the assignment of registered
trademarks, which may produce misleading, confusing or
other adverse effects, the Trademark Office shall refuse
them, and shall notify the applicants in writing and
give the reasons therefor.
Article
26 Where the exclusive right to use a registered
trademark is transferred due to the reasons other than
assignment, the party who accepts the transfer of the
exclusive right to use the registered trademark shall,
by producing the relevant evidential documents or legal
instruments, go through the formalities of the transfer
of the exclusive right to use the registered trademark
with the Trademark Office.
Where
the exclusive right to use a registered trademark is
transferred, the right holder shall assign in a lump all
of its trademarks that are identical or similar to each
other in respect of the same or similar goods; if they
are not so transferred, the Trademark Office shall
notify it to rectify the situation within a specified
time limit; if it fails to rectify it at the expiry of
the said time limit, the application for transfer of the
registered trademark shall be considered abandoned, and
the Trademark Office shall notify the applicant in
writing.
Article
27 Where the registration of a registered trademark
needs to be renewed, an application for renewal of
registration of the trademark shall be submitted to the
Trademark Office. The Trademark Office shall, upon
approval of the application for renewal of registration
of the trademark, issue a corresponding certification
and publish the renewal.
The
period of validity of a renewed trademark registration
shall be calculated from the day following the
expiration of the previous period of validity of such a
trademark.
Chapter
V Review and Adjudication of Trademarks
Article
28 The Trademark Review and Adjudication
Board shall accept applications for trademark
review and adjudication filed under Articles 32, 33, 41
and 49 of the Trademark Law. The Trademark Review and
Adjudication Board shall, on the basis of facts, conduct
review and adjudication according to law.
Article
29 As referred to in the third paragraph of Article 41
of the Trademark Law, “a dispute against a registered
trademark” means that a prior trademark registrant
believes that a trademark registered later by another
party is identical or similar to its registered
trademark in respect of the same or similar goods.
Article
30 When applying for trademark review and adjudication,
an application shall be submitted to the Trademark
Review and Adjudication Board, accompanied with the
copies corresponding to the number of the other party.
If an application for review and adjudication is filed
on the basis of the decision or the ruling made by the
Trademark Office, the copies of such decision or ruling
shall also be filed.
Upon
receiving the application, the Trademark Review and
Adjudication Board shall, upon examination, accept it if
the requirements for acceptance are satisfied; if the
requirements for acceptance are not satisfied, it shall
not accept the application, and shall notify the
applicant in writing and give the reasons therefor. If
the application needs to be supplemented or corrected,
the applicant shall be notified to make supplements or
corrections within 30 days from the date of receipt of
the notification. If, after being supplemented or
corrected, the application still does not conform to the
provisions, the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board
shall refuse it, and notify the applicant in writing and
give the reasons therefor; if no supplements or
corrections are made at the expiry of the specified time
limit, the application shall be considered withdrawn and
the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board shall notify
the applicant in writing.
If
the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board finds that
an application does not satisfy the requirements for
acceptance after it has accepted the application, it
shall refuse the application, notify the applicant in
writing and give the reasons therefor.
Article
31 The Trademark Review and Adjudication Board shall,
upon the acceptance of the application for trademark
review and adjudication, send in time the copy of the
application to the other party, who shall be required to
make a response within 30 days from the date of receipt
of such copy. If no response is made at the expiry of
the time limit, it shall not affect the Trademark Review
and Adjudication Board’s
review and adjudication.
Article
32 Where a party needs to supplement related evidence
after filing an application for review and adjudication
or making a response, a statement for this purpose shall
be made in the application or in the response, and the
said evidence shall be submitted within three months
from the date on which the application is filed or the
response is made; if no evidence is submitted at the
expiry of the time limit, the party shall be considered
given up the supplementing of related evidence.
Article
33 The Trademark Review and Adjudication Board may, at
the request of a party or on the basis of the practical
needs, decide to review and adjudicate an application
for review and adjudication in public session.
Where
the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board decides to
review and adjudicate the application for review and
adjudication in public session, it shall notify in
writing the parties 15 days before the public review and
adjudication, informing them of the date, venue and
persons conducting the public review and adjudication.
The parties shall make a response within the time limit
specified in the written notice.
Where
the applicant does not make a response nor appear at the
public review and adjudication, its application for
review and adjudication shall be considered withdrawn,
and the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board shall
notify the applicant in writing. If the other party does
not make a response nor appear at the public review and
adjudication, the Trademark Review and Adjudication
Board may conduct the review and adjudication by
default.
Article
34 Where an applicant requests to withdraw its
application before the Trademark Review and Adjudication
Board makes a decision or ruling, it may withdraw its
application after making an explanation of the reasons
therefor in writing to the Trademark Review and
Adjudication Board; where an application is withdrawn,
the review and adjudication proceedings shall be
terminated.
Article
35 Where an application for trademark review and
adjudication has been withdrawn, the applicant shall not
file another application for review and adjudication on
the basis of the same facts and grounds. Where the
Trademark Review and Adjudication Board has already made
a decision or ruling on an application for trademark
review and adjudication, no one shall file another
application for review and adjudication on the basis of
the same facts and grounds.
Article
36 Where a registered trademark is canceled pursuant to
Article 41 of the Trademark Law, the exclusive right to
use the said trademark shall be deemed as not existing
from the very beginning. A decision or ruling on
canceling a registered trademark shall have no
retroactive effect on any judgment or order on any
trademark infringement case made and already enforced by
the people's court before the cancellation, nor on any
decision on any trademark infringement case made and
already enforced by the authority of administration for
industry and commerce before the cancellation, and nor
on any trademark assignment contract or trademark
license contract already performed before the
cancellation. However, the trademark registrant shall
compensate any loss caused to another person due to its
bad faith.
Chapter
VI Administration of the Use of Trademarks
Article
37 Where a registered trademark is used, the characters
“注册商标”or
a registration mark may be indicated on goods, packages
of goods, descriptions of goods or other ancillary
items.
The
registration mark includes 注and
®, which,in
the use of such registration mark, shall be placed on
the upper or lower right-hand corner.
Article
38 Where a Certificate of Trademark Registration is lost
or damaged, an application for reissuance shall be filed
with the Trademark Office. Where a Certificate of
Trademark Registration is lost, a loss declaration shall
be published in the Trademark Gazette. The damaged
Certificate of Trademark Registration shall be sent back
to the Trademark Office when the application for
reissuance is submitted.
Where
a Certificate of Trademark Registration is forged or
altered, criminal liability shall be investigated for
according to the provisions of the criminal law on the
crime of forging or altering certificates of State
organs or other crimes.
Article
39 With respect to any of the acts referred to in
Article 44 (1), (2) and (3) of the Trademark Law, the
authority of administration for industry and commerce
shall order the trademark registrant to rectify the
situation within a specified time limit; where there is
a refusal to rectify, it shall report to the Trademark
Office for the cancellation of the registered trademark.
With
respect to the act referred to in Article 44 (4) of the
Trademark Law, any person may apply to the Trademark
Office for the cancellation of such registered
trademark, and state the relevant circumstances. The
Trademark Office shall notify the trademark registrant
to, within two months from the date of receipt of the
notification, provide evidence of use of the trademark
prior to the submission of the application for
cancellation, or explain proper reasons for non-use. If,
at the expiry of the time limit, no evidence of use is
provided or the evidence provided is invalid and there
are no proper reasons for non-use, the Trademark Office
shall cancel the registered trademark.
The
evidence referred to in the preceding paragraph includes
the evidence of use of the registered trademark by the
trademark registrant and the evidence of licensing
another person by the trademark registrant to use its
registered trademark.
Article
40 For a registered trademark canceled under Article 44
or 45 of the Trademark Law, the Trademark Office shall
publish it, and the exclusive right to use the said
registered trademark shall be terminated from the date
on which the Trademark Office makes the decision of
cancellation.
Article
41 Where a registered trademark is canceled by the
Trademark Office or the Trademark Review and
Adjudication Board and the grounds for the cancellation
involve some of the designated goods only, the
registered trademark used on such goods shall be
canceled.
Article
42 The amount of a fine imposed under Articles 45 and 48
of the Trademark Law shall be not more than 20% of the
volume of the illegal business or not more than two
times of the profit illegally earned.
The
amount of a fine imposed under Article 47 of the
Trademark Law shall be not more than 10% of the volume
of the illegal business.
Article
43 Where licensing another person to use its registered
trademark, the licensor shall, within three months from
the date of conclusion of the license contract, submit
the copy of the contract to the Trademark Office for the
record.
Article
44 Where anyone violates the provisions of the second
paragraph of Article 40 of the Trademark Law, the
authority of administration for industry and commerce
shall order it to make corrections within a specified
time limit, or seize the representations of its
trademark if no corrections are made at the expiry of
the specified time limit. Where it is impossible to
separate the representations of the trademark from the
goods involved, both of them shall be seized and
destroyed.
Article
45 Where the use of a trademark is in violation of the
provisions of Article 13 of the Trademark Law, the party
concerned may request the authority of administration
for industry and commerce to prohibit such use. When
filing an application for this purpose, the party shall
submit evidence proving that its mark constitutes a
well-known trademark. If the mark is determined as a
well-known trademark by the Trademark Office pursuant to
Article 14 of the Trademark Law, the authority of
administration for industry and commerce shall order the
infringer to stop the act of using the well-known
trademark in violation of the provisions of Article 13
of the Trademark Law, seize and destroy the
representations of the trademark; where it is impossible
to separate the representations of the trademark from
the goods involved, both of them shall be seized and
destroyed.
Article
46 A trademark registrant applying for the removal of
its registered trademark or for the removal of the
registration of its trademark used on some of the
designated goods from the Trademark Register shall
submit an application for the removal of the trademark
to the Trademark Office and return the original
Certificate of Trademark Registration.
Where
a trademark registrant applies for the removal of its
registered trademark or the removal of the registration
of its trademark on some of the designated goods from
the Trademark Register, the exclusive right to use the
registered trademark or the effect of the exclusive
right to use the registered trademark on some of the
designated goods shall be terminated from the date on
which the Trademark Office receives the application for
removal.
Article
47 Where a trademark registrant dies or terminates, each
and every person may, at the expiry of one year from the
date of death or termination, apply to the Trademark
Office for the removal of the registered trademark in
question from the Trademark Register if no formalities
of transfer have been conducted with respect to the
registered trademark. When applying for the removal, the
applicant shall submit the evidence certifying the death
or termination of the trademark registrant.
Where
a registered trademark is removed from the Trademark
Register due to the death or termination of the
trademark registrant, the exclusive right to use the
registered trademark shall cease from the date of death
or termination of the trademark registrant.
Article
48 Where a registered trademark is canceled or removed
from the Trademark Register as provided in Articles 46
and 47 of these Regulations, the original Certificate of
Trademark Registration shall become invalid. Where the
registration of the trademark on some of the designated
goods is canceled or the trademark registrant applies
for the removal of the registration of its trademark on
some of the designated goods from the Trademark
Register, the Trademark Office shall make a note on the
original Certificate of Trademark Registration and
return it to the registrant, or reissue the Certificate
of Trademark Registration and publish it.
Chapter
VII Protection of the Exclusive Right to Use a
Registered Trademark
Article
49 Where a registered trademark consists of the generic
name, design or model of the goods in question, or
directly shows the quality, main raw materials,
functions, intended purposes, weight, quantity or other
characteristics of the goods in question, or consists of
geographical names, the proprietor of the exclusive
right to use the registered trademark shall have no
right to prohibit the fair use thereof by another
person.
Article
50 Any of the following acts shall constitute an
infringement on the exclusive right to use a registered
trademark referred to in Article 52 (5) of the Trademark
Law:
(1)
using any signs which are identical or similar to
another person’s registered trademark as the name of
the goods or decoration of the goods on the same or
similar goods, thus misleading the public;
(2)
intentionally providing facilities such as storage,
transport, mailing, concealing, etc. for the purpose of
infringing another person’s exclusive right to use a
registered trademark.
Article
51 Where the exclusive right to use a registered
trademark is infringed upon, each and every person may
lodge a complaint with or report the case to the
authority of administration for industry and commerce.
Article
52 The amount of a fine imposed on an act infringing the
exclusive right to use a registered trademark shall be
not more than three times of the volume of the illegal
business. If it is impossible to calculate the volume of
the illegal business, the amount of the fine shall be
not more than 100,000 yuan.
Article
53 A trademark owner who believes that the registration
of its well-known trademark as an enterprise name by
another person is likely to deceive or mislead the
public may apply to the competent registration
authorities of enterprise names for the cancellation of
the registration of the enterprise name. The competent
registration authorities of enterprise names shall
handle the case in accordance with the Provisions on
Administration of Enterprise Name Registration.
Chapter
VIII Supplementary Provisions
Article
54 Service marks continuously in use to July 1, 1993,
which are identical or similar to any registered service
marks of another person for the same or similar
services, may continue to be used; however, if such use
is suspended for a period of three years or more after
July 1, 1993, it shall not be used any longer.
Article
55 The specific measures for the administration of
trademark agency shall be separately formulated by the
State Council.
Article
56 The Classification of Goods and Services for
trademark registration shall be worked out and published
by the authority of administration for industry and
commerce under the State Council.
The
format of the documents for applying for trademark
registration or for handling other trademark matters
shall be determined and published by the authority of
administration for industry and commerce under the State
Council.
The
rules on review and adjudication to be followed by the
Trademark Review and Adjudication Board shall be
formulated and promulgated by the authority of
administration for industry and commerce under the State
Council.
Article
57 The Trademark Office shall establish and keep the
Trademark Register recording registered trademarks and
other registration matters.
The
Trademark Office shall compile and issue the Trademark
Gazette publishing trademark registration and other
related matters.
Article
58 Fees shall be paid for applying for trademark
registration or for handling other trademark matters.
The items and standards for collecting fees shall be
prescribed and published by the authority of
administration for industry and commerce under the State
Council jointly with the competent department for
pricing of the State Council.
Article
59 These Regulations shall become effective as of
September 15, 2002. The Rules for the Implementation of
the Trademark Law of the People’s Republic of China,
which was promulgated by the State Council on March 10,
1983, revised for the first time with the approval of
the State Council on January 3, 1988 and revised for the
second time with the approval of the State Council on
July 15, 1993, and the Official Reply from the State
Council Concerning Papers Furnished as Attachments to
Applications for Trademark Registration, which was
issued on April 23, 1995, shall be repealed
simultaneously. |