By He Wei and Wang Yaxi, King & Wood Mallesons’ IP Group
T
he principle of good faith applies not only to the manner in which trademark rights are obtained, but also to the manner in which those rights are enforced through litigation. Trademarks may generate steady income for trademark holders due to the long life span of trademark rights and the increasing value of the rights when the mark becomes recognized by the market through continuous use. However, registering or otherwise obtaining trademark rights solely in order to profit from litigation or to eliminate competition in a market may constitute an abuse of power or contravene the principle of good faith, and this may well impact on the compensation that a Court is prepared to award for acts that would otherwise constitute trademark infringement. Prevailing trends of the Supreme Court in dealing with abusive trademark litigation are highlighted in the case presented below.
Read full article, please click here.
作者：叶渌 金杜律师事务所争议解决部
前
不久，一个大型民企、也是名企的法务总监对我说，公司老板心目中的好律师，就是能打赢官司的律师；律师只有打赢官司，对企业才有价值。这席话精准地道出了中国企业对中国律师的普遍看法和我们律师业的现状。这番话发人深省：是不是如果一个企业没有遇到官司，就根本不需要律师？
改革开放了三十年，社会已经接受了律师这个行业的存在，而且也越来越重视律师的作用，但社会对律师价值的认识，可以说是三十年不变：律师，就是打官司的；中国律师，主要指的就是诉讼律师。
中国律师业的这种状态，与一些法治发达国家似乎不同：比如美国的大型律师事务所中，诉讼律师其实只占少数，大部分是非诉律师；而这些非诉律师又按照专业进行划分，比如公司事务律师、证券法律师、金融法律师、保险法律师、劳动法律师、公司并购律师、反垄断法律师等等，而且这种分工越来越细，比如就金融法领域而言，就至少可以分出更多的门类，包括银行、保险、基金、PE投资等细分领域。
全文阅读，请点击此处。
By Susan Ning, Cheng Liu, Hazel Yin, Ruohan Zhang King & Wood Mallesons’ Commercial & Regulatory Group
On
M
arch 23rd, 2016, after several rounds of internal inquiries, Antitrust Guidelines for Automotive Industry (Draft for Comments) (hereinafter the “Consultation Draft”), drafted by the National Development and Reform Commission (“NDRC”) together with relevant authorities under the authorization by the State Council Anti-Monopoly Commission, was open for public comments. As the first comprehensive industrial antitrust guideline in China, the publication of the Consultation Draft stands as a milestone. Continue Reading Highlights on Antitrust Guidelines for Automotive Industry — Overview and Frequently Asked Questions
by Susan Ning, Cheng Liu, Hazel Yin, Yun Bi King & Wood Mallesons’ Commercial & Regulatory Group
In recent years, Chinese authorities have dealt with many antitrust cases for resale price maintenance (“RPM”), and such investigations have spread into various industries, e.g. milk powder, eye glasses, alcohol, automotive industry, etc. Especially in the automotive industry, since 2014, some well-known branded auto suppliers have been fined for restricting their distributors’ resale price. On March 23, 2016, the National Development and Reform Commission (“NDRC”) published the consultation draft of the Antitrust Guidelines for Automotive Industry (“Consultation Draft”) to invite public comments. The Consultation Draft particularly provides detailed explanations on RPM and provides practical guidance for both companies and the Anti-Monopoly Enforcement Agencies (“AMEAs”). Continue Reading Highlights on Antitrust Guidelines for Automotive Industry– Clarifying the Enforcement on RPM
By Susan Ning, Cheng Liu, Hazel Yin, Yumeng Li King & Wood Mallesons’ Commercial & Regulatory Group
S
ummaryAuto suppliers often impose non-price restrictions, such as territorial restrictions and customer restrictions, on their distributors. In previous penalty decisions of Anti-Monopoly Enforcement Authorities (“AMEAs”), non-price restrictions in association with resale price maintenance may be found violating Article 14(1) or (2) of the Anti-Monopoly Law (“AML”). However, AMEAs have yet punished any standalone non-price restriction under Article 14(3) of the AML. Continue Reading Highlights on Antitrust Guidelines for Automotive Industry– Vertical Non-price Restrictions Face Potential Challenges
By Susan Ning, Cheng Liu, Hazel Yin, Lingbo Wei, Shenglan Liu King & Wood Mallesons Commercial & Regulatory Group
On
March 23, 2016, China’s National Development and Reform Commission (“NDRC”) published the draft of the State Council Anti-Monopoly Commission’s Antitrust Guidelines for Automotive Industry (the “Consultation Draft”) and invited comments from the public.
There have been quite a few antitrust investigations in China’s automotive industry in recent years. For the automotive aftermarket, auto suppliers in China have long been criticized for imposing restrictions on spare parts suppliers, distributors and repairers, which leads to the exclusive supply of original spare parts in the aftermarket as well as the foreclosure of repair technical information. Customers have been worried about the high parts-to-whole ratio and the unavailability to after-sale services. Continue Reading Highlights on Antitrust Guidelines for Automotive Industry — Antitrust Issues in Automotive Aftermarket
作者：金杜律师事务所
设立世界知识产权日由中国和阿尔及利亚提出，并在2000年10月召开的世界知识产权组织第三十五届大会上通过，目的是增强各界尊重知识、崇尚科学、保护知识产权的意识，营造鼓励知识创新和保护知识产权的法律环境。自2001年起，每年的4月26日被确立为世界知识产权日。
如今，知识产权问题愈发成为影响科技、文化进步与社会经济发展的关键因素，为确立知识产权的核心地位，助力企业维系市场竞争能力。4月20日，金杜律师事务所在京举办主题为“互通互联，保护创意”世界知识产权日特别活动。金杜多位相关领域专家合伙人，就知识产权领域的热点话题结合其执业专长提供战略建议，进行深度解读。活动邀请了来自互联网、医疗、影视娱乐、消费品等不同行业的众多企业代表参加。 Continue Reading 互通互联 •保护创意—— 金杜举办世界知识产权日特别活动
By Xiong Jin, Wang Kaiding , Huang Mengtian, Sun Yili, Luo Hai King & Wood Mallesons’ Corporate & Securities Group
O
n
April 13, 2016, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) published a consultation paper (Consultation Paper) on its website, seeking public opinion on the amendments (Amendments) proposed for the “Administrative Measures for the Verification and Record-filing on Outbound Investments Projects” issued in April 2014 (No.9 Regulation). Public opinion must be submitted by 13 May 2016, and NDRC is expected to officially promulgate the revised No.9 Regulation soon after the deadline.
The Amendments look quite limited, but have some encouraging developments.
Read full article, please click here.
