April 2012

By Zhang Shouzhi Hu Ke and Xu Beibei    King & Wood Mallesons’ Dispute Resoution Group

A final arbitral award is the final and binding conclusion of the substantial dispute submitted to arbitration by the parties. It defines the winner and the loser of the game. In few occasions would the parties be willing to settle their disputes after an award has been rendered. However, settlement is still a wise choice when the disputed amount is huge, and the parties still have the will.

In 2011, we assisted 2 separate clients in negotiating amicable settlements after the arbitral awards were rendered in offshore arbitrations. We provide below a brief description of the two cases:Continue Reading Post-Award Settlement for International Arbitration

By King & Wood Mallesons’ Trademark Group

Currently, trademark protection is becoming one of the hottest topics in China. The latest headlines include the NBA star Michael Jordan suing the Chinese sportswear and footwear manufacture Qiaodan Sports Joint Stock Company for the alleged infringement over his name right, the preemptive registration of the mark "LIN SHU HAO (Jeremy Lin’s Chinese name)", and the domain name "lingshuhao.com" being for sale at a high price.

These trademark-related cases have drawn great attention among scholars and China’s online community (often referred to as "netizens"). Most netizens gave their opinions in a rational manner and appealed for fair treatment over the parties involved within the purview of relevant laws and regulations. Some netizens acknowledged that China has changed from a single and occlusive market to an open and international one and the interaction and competition with foreign companies are more intensified than before. China will be left far behind if the market lacks honesty and legal rules.Continue Reading Viewing IP Protection in China through Preemptive Trademark Registration

作者：金杜律师事务所商标组

当下，商标权是中国最热门的话题之一，最新的主要事件有美国篮球明星迈克尔•乔丹状告中国运动服和鞋类生产商乔丹体育股份有限公司涉嫌侵犯其姓名权，“林书豪”的商标在中国已被抢注，而一家域名为“lingshuhao.com”的网站正在寻求转让。

系列商标事件引起了中国网民和相关学者的强烈关注。多数网民都以理性的态度加入探讨，并呼吁严格按照相关法律解决问题。有网民表示，如今中国已经从单一、封闭市场转向开放的国际化平台，与海外企业的互动和竞争都会随之提升，没有诚信和法制注定被世界所抛弃。Continue Reading 从多起”商标抢注事件”看当前中国知识产权保护问题

By James Rowland  King & Wood Mallesons Dispute Resolution Group

I.    Background

The Claimants were three Singaporean companies which had been set up to hold shares in a number of sino-foreign joint ventures established under JV contracts governed by PRC law (the “JVs”). The fourth claimant was the parent company of the first three claimants, and had entered into a Services Agreement with the general manager of the JVs (the “Services Agreement”). He was in turn the chairman and legal representative of each of the JVs and of each of their Chinese shareholders. The Service Agreement was governed for the most part by PRC law, although it contained a non-competition clause governed by English law.

The Defendants were the BVI shareholders in a number of Chinese enterprises (the “Non-JVs”) which had been gradually assimilated into the JVs’ manufacturing supply-chain. After many years both the JVs and Non-JVs were operating as an integrated manufacturing and sales business.Continue Reading Freezing China Assets through the BVI Courts–A British Virgin Islands (BVI) case demonstrates some of the difficulty of obtaining interim relief in arbitration as well as in parallel civil litigation

作者：罗必成 金杜律师事务所争议解决组

一、    背景

在达能亚洲诉金朝有限公司案中，原告为三家新加坡公司，设立这三家公司的目的是为了通过其进而持有多家中外合资公司的股份，这些中外合资公司依照中国法律签订中外合资合同而设立（“合资公司”）。第四位原告是上述三家公司的母公司，其与合资公司的总经理签订立了“服务协议”。协议签订后，该总经理同时担任各家合资公司及其中方股东的董事长及法人代表。服务协议中除了竟业禁止条款适用英国法，其它大部分内容仍适用中国法。

被告为多家中国公司（“非合资公司”）的英属维京群岛（British Virgin Islands，“BVI”）的股东， 这些非合资公司逐渐被合资公司的制造供应链吸收，多年来这些合资公司与非合资公司一直以生产销售一体化的方式运营。Continue Reading 通过BVI法院冻结中国资产–以BVI案件为例解析在境外仲裁及平行民事诉讼中寻求申请临时令救济禁令的风险

By He Wei  King & Wood Mallesons’ Dispute Resolution Group

I.    Introduction

Although Chinese enterprises are often engaged in disputes arising out of international fertilizer transactions, generally a large number of these enterprises are struggling, since they are unacquainted with international dispute resolution mechanisms, and the numerous highly technical issues that are involved in relevant international sale contracts. However, in January 2009, a Chinese fertilizer company obtained the first ever victory in offshore arbitration, in which expert witnesses played an important role.Continue Reading The First Victory for PRC Fertilizer Enterprises in Offshore Arbitration

作者：何薇  金杜律师事务所争议解决组

一、    前言

由于不熟悉国际贸易争议解决机制，并且国际化肥买卖合同中往往涉及诸多专业性较强的技术问题，很多中国企业在解决此类国际贸易纠纷时举步维艰。然而，2009年1月，中国某化肥类企业首次在境外仲裁中取得胜诉。在该案中，专家证人的证言成为决定性因素。Continue Reading 首例中国化肥业”走出去”案件在境外仲裁中取得胜诉

By King & Wood Mallesons’ Trademark Group

On December 16, 2011, the Supreme People’s Court of China issued the Opinions on Exerting the Function of Intellectual Property Rights Judgment to Facilitate Socialist Cultural Development and Prosperity and Promote Independent and Coordinated Economic Development (the "Opinions"). The Opinions provide several guidelines on the trial of trademark infringement cases, which mainly touch upon the following issues:

a. Deliberate plagiarism in bad faith. To determine whether an alleged infringer has acted in bad faith, the trial court shall adopt comprehensive criteria by taking into account the reputation and distinctiveness of trademarks, similarities between trademarks and designated goods, and whether the applicant/registrant has the intention to use the mark and the improper use of the marks, such as trademark squatting and free-riding activities.Continue Reading The Supreme People’s Court: Giving Full Play to Intellectual Property Trial Functions