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The Importance of Brand Protection in China

Secure Your Brand

Given that China is a first to file country, you must register your trademark with urgency to protect your brand before someone else claims ownership first. China files more trademarks annually than any other jurisdiction, at rates 97 times higher than Canada and 13 times higher than the United States. Registered China marks offer 10 years of protection, granting you access to several support options to monitor and enforce your trademark rights nationwide.

Protect Your Assets

Despite government initiatives to improve intellectual property protection in China, the risk of trademark infringement is still high. The State Administration of Industry and Commerce (SAIC), a governing body responsible for infringement investigations, handled 28, 189 cases in 2016 alone — totaling a value of $54 million (USD). You worked hard to build your business, so it’s essential to invest in trademark monitoring and enforcement to protect your brand.

Cover Your Bases

Over the past decade, trademark filing in China has grown exponentially from 760,000 marks filed in 2006 to 5,748,000 in 2017. With millions of businesses popping up across the country each year, the numbers are only increasing. Since all the major Chinese marketplaces like Alibaba, TMALL and Taobao require registration from all sellers, brand protection is the only way to stay competitive, make money, boost brand awareness and avoid lost profits.

Witmart Trademark Services

Trademark Search

The China Trademark Office (CTMO) handles millions of filings every year, so the odds of competing or similar marks are high — and a simple internet search isn’t enough to ensure mark availability. To help kick start your brand protection strategy in China, we conduct your trademark search for free!

Trademark Registration

Between differences in timezone, trademark law and language, there are plenty of barriers for foreign applicants. The local experts at Witmart collaborate with our teams in China to handle your trademark registration paperwork, any CTMO correspondence, potential oppositions and everything in between.

Trademark Monitoring

It’s impossible to keep tabs on every market across China as a foreign business, but Witmart has you covered. We provide a customized smart monitoring plan that combines the industry’s best monitoring software and private investigators to target the online and physical markets that pose the greatest risk to your business.

Trademark Enforcement

Even with the most comprehensive prevention strategy, trademark infringement is still a real threat to the long-term success of your business. That’s why Witmart offers trademark enforcement services in collaboration with the attorneys of the award-winning LongAn Law Firm of Beijing, China to bring you affordable legal representation as needed.

Our Trademark Services Team

We are a diverse group of hard-working trademark specialists, paralegals and attorneys dedicated to helping businesses protect their brands in China. With offices in Canada, China and the United States, we eliminate the need for expensive translation services by collaborating on your behalf with our legal partners at LongAn Law Firm in Beijing and our trademark associates located strategically across 107 cities in China.

Affiliations

Join Our Growing Portfolio of Protected Brands in China

  • Trademark: Mitteez
    Countries filed: Canada
    Date issued: December 07, 2018
    Class: 10
    Services/Goods: Baby Mittens

    Trademark: Frizzis
    Countries filed: Canada
    Date issued: March 21, 2017
    Class: 30
    Services/Goods: Cookies with nuts; Peanut brittle; Peanut butter confectionery chips

  • Trademark: Aroundsquare
    Countries filed: Canada
    Date issued: March 07, 2018
    Class: 28
    Services/Goods: toys made using threads and different combinations of colored beads

    Trademark: Vitality Air
    Countries filed: Canada
    Date issued: March 21, 2017
    Class: 35
    Services/Goods: Online and telecommunication advertising services