SAIC Focuses on Trademark Strategy

On May 22, the State Administration of Industry and Commerce (SAIC) released Opinions on Deepening Implementation of the Trademark Brand Strategy to Advance the Creation of Chinese Brands. SAIC first introduced its Trademark Strategy (商标战略) in 2009 with the aim to implement the National Intellectual Property Strategy Outline released by the State Council the year before. 
 
The Trademark Brand Strategy is a necessary component of China’s Innovation-Driven Development Strategy, Made in China 2025 efforts, creation of a Trademark Brand Strong Nation, and structural upgrading, the Opinions state. Some of the goals of the strategy include to promote the competitiveness of Chinese brands, and create independent companies that are led by the market, promoted by the government, and advanced by industry.
 
The Opinions contain reform of the trademark registration management system (Section 2), including increasing the number of registered trademarks of Chinese companies, promoting the pilot Beijing-China Trademark Review and Cooperation Center, and improving the protection of well-known trademarks, including cracking down on cybersquatting. The Opinions also call for strengthened administrative protection of registered trademarks (Section 3), including cracking down on cyber trademark infringement and counterfeiting, standardizing trademark supervision, and strengthening trademark law enforcement collaboration. In addition, the Opinions mention building a brand training services system (Section 4), promoting regional branding (Section 5), and strengthening brand development overseas (Section 6).
 
Measures to carry out the above include improved organization and leadership, enhanced publicity, and additional research, personnel training, and funding.