By King & Wood’s Trademark Practice
Trademarks should be registered wherever the products that carry those trademarks go. This has become a motto for exporters in Yixing. According to preliminary statistics conducted by local authorities, over 200 trademarks have been registered abroad, and the number of such trademark owners increase from 10 to more than 20 in Yixing.Continue Reading Yixing: Over 200 Trademarks Registered Abroad
By King & Wood’s Trademark Practice
Recently, Beijing First Intermediate People’s Court has accepted an administrative lawsuit lodged by LOUIS VUITTON MALLETIER (the "Plaintiff"), against the China Trademark Review and Adjudication Board ("TRAB") with respect to its decision regarding the trademark "LV and 郎人LANGREN" (the "Mark") applied for by a local private company of "eyeglass chains, etc." in Class 9.Continue Reading LV is not Well-Known?
By Miao Qu of King & Wood’s Intellectual Property Group
This article continues to discuss Core Intellectual Property Issues in M&A and Investment. The first part of this article was published on Chinalawinsight on September 2011.
During the due diligence in a merger, special attention should be paid to the effect of the investment or merger on the intellectual property rights of the acquiree, especially the effect on license contracts. Two common problems are when the acquisition triggers a clause in a license contract changing control in a way that alters the effectiveness of the agreements, or some other clause in the agreements hinders future business of the acquired entity.
Case 5: A transnational company intended to purchase the domestic mobile communication department of another transnational company. During the due diligence investigations, we found a license contract between the acquiree and a state-owned enterprise ("SOE"). In this contract the acquiree licensed the core technology of the department to the SOE for exclusive use, and ensured that the core technology would not be transferred or licensed to any third party in specific locations. We contacted the management team of the acquiror and learned that the acquiror intended to transfer the technology to other domestic entities of the acquiror for implementation and management pursuant to its business framework. Therefore, we advised the acquirer that the acquiree should negotiate with the SOE to amend the license contract to ensure that the business could operate according to plan after the transaction.Continue Reading Core Intellectual Property Issues in M&A and Investment （Part II of II）
By Miao Qu of King & Wood’s Interllectual Property Group
With the growth of a market economy system, more and more enterprises are seeking to expand their businesses by investment or mergers and acquisitions ("M&A") rather than gradual traditional business growth. In investment and M&A, intellectual property ("IP") issues are increasingly involved in transactions and lawyers must be familiar with the intellectual property state of the enterprise. Moreover, lawyers engaged in dispute resolution also come across more disputes regarding the after-effects of M&A. These disputes and other legal risks which result from M&A can be mitigated or avoided. This writer summarizes typical IP issues involved in M&A from previous experience.Continue Reading Core Intellectual Property Issues in M&A and Investment (Part I of II)
本文分两部分刊登， 2011年8月8日金杜法律博客（Chinalawinsight)刊登的了本文的第一部分。文章第二部分将继续对《投资并购交易中需要警惕的知识产权问题》进行解读。
五、并购行为对被收购方知识产权相关协议的影响
在投资并购的尽职调查过程中，还需要特别注意投资及并购行为对一些知识产权权利可能产生的影响，尤其是对许可协议可能产生的影响。常见的情形有，收购导致触发控制权变更条款，从而可能影响协议的效力；或者协议原有的一些条款可能造成收购主体未来业务经营的妨碍。
案例五：某跨国公司拟整体收购另一跨国公司在中国境内的移动通讯业务部门。在尽职调查的过程中，我们发现被收购方曾与一国有企业签订一份许可协议，将该业务部门的核心技术许可该国有企业在中国进行排他性地使用，且承诺将不会将此技术在许可地域内转让或许可给任何第三方。知识产权律师应与收购方管理团队进行及时沟通，了解该公司的业务架构，明确收购方拟将收购获得的技术转让给收购方在中国的其它主体进行实施和管理。因此，应建议收购方在签署交易合同之前，由被收购方与被许可的国有企业协商修改许可协议，以保证交易后业务能够按计划运作。Continue Reading 投资并购交易中需要警惕的知识产权问题（二）
By King & Wood’s Trademark Practice
The Tort Law of People’s Republic of China was adopted on December 26, 2009, under which the IP rights, including copyrights, patent rights, and exclusive rights to use trademarks, are protected as individual rights and interests. Wang Shengming, vice-chairman of the Legislative Affairs Commission under NPC, commented, "Tort Law provides supplementary reference to the protection of IP rights."Continue Reading Tort Law Provides Supplementary Protection to IP Rights
By King & Wood’s Trademark Practice
The mark "日本電產" (Japan Densan in Chinese Characters) is also the short form of the enterprise name of its owner Nippon Densan Corporation (now Nidec Corporation). As a trade name, it is unique and distinctive. However, when being filed for registration as a trademark, "日本電產" ("Japan Densan in Chinese Characters") must also bear the distinctiveness that is required of a trademark.Continue Reading What is proven, the Use of Trademark or Trade Name?
By King & Wood’s Trademark Practice
Nokia opposed a trademark application to register "VERTU" under Appn. No. 3084613 which covered "spectacles [optics]; eyeglass cases, etc." in Class 9 filed by an individual. Both the China Trademark Office ("CTMO") and Trademark Review and Adjudication Board ("TRAB") denied the opposition. Nokia appealed before the Beijing First Intermediate People’s Court asserting that:Continue Reading “VERTU” Mobile Phones vs. “VERTU” Spectacles
职务发明是企业的重要无形资产之一，如何区别职务发明和非职务发明极为重要。《专利法》(1)和《合同法》对职务发明都作了原则性的规定，但现实中许多问题无法从法条中直接获得解答，比如，哪些发明人是职务发明意义上的“员工”，“职务”如何解释等问题。所以，以职务发明为争议点的确权诉讼不胜枚举。本文通过案例的分析，归纳出认定职务发明的要点，并从企业的角度出发提出一些预防纠纷的建议。Continue Reading 如何解读职务发明
by Cecilia Lou and Vincent Yu of King & Wood’s Interllectual Property Group
Service inventions created by employees ("Service Invention") are valuable intangible assets for employers, which makes it important to distinguish Service Invention from non-service invention. The Patent Law of the People’s Republic of China ("PRC Patent Law")(1)provides a rudimentary definition of Service Invention leaving many questions unanswered, such as what is the definition of "employee" for purposes of defining Service Invention, and what "tasks of the Entity" should include. Due to those uncertainties, many disputes arise as to the ownership of the right to patent inventions. This article summarizes the requirements and burden of proofs of Service Invention by analyzing actual cases, followed by a comprehensive strategy to avoid those disputes from the perspective of an employer.Continue Reading How to Interpret Service Invention in China