Domain and Trademark Usurpation -- Follow Up

Yesterday, I discussed a letter received by a U.S. company from someone in China who had secured the U.S. company's China (cn) domain name and was trying to sell it "back" to the U.S. company.  Though troublesome, the damage from such usurpation is typically small, particularly as compared to what can happen if someone hijacks your trade name or trademark in China.  We have seen this happen countless times, mostly to American companies, who are unfamiliar with the "first to file" trademark law, as opposed to the U.S., British, and Canadian, "first to use" systems. 

Though the media love to publish stories deriding China’s intellectual property protection, those articles nearly always neglect to mention that in most instances involving trademarks, the fault lies with the foreign company, not with Chinese enforcement. The reality is that many foreign companies fail to register their trademarks in China and thus have no real right to complain about any “infringement” there. To expect protection, foreign companies must register their trademarks in China and the prudent company does this before going in.

There are actually a number of people in China who make a living (and a good one at that) by usurping foreign trademarks and then selling a license to that trademark to the original, foreign, license holder. Once one comes to grip with the fact that China, like most of the rest of the world is a “first to file” country, one can understand how easy this usurpation is, and also, how easy it is to prevent it.

The fact that you are manufacturing your product in China just for export does not in any way minimize the need for you to protect your trademark. Once someone registers “your” trademark in China, they have the power to stop your goods at the border and prevent them from leaving China.  That's right, they can stop your goods from leaving because they own the trademark, not you.  We are aware of companies having to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to get their trademark "back" and to get their goods flowing out of China again. 

The key to protecting your trademark in China is actually very simple:  register it in China before you do business there.  This can usually be done at a relatively small cost. You should also consider getting the Chinese equivalent as well.  This article provides further information on China trademarks.