Chang Tsi & Partners

Case Summary:  The plaintiff, Intercontinental Great Brands LLC, is a subsidiary of Mondelēz International.

GUI (Graphical User Interface) refers to a digital user interface that displays graphically.

Overall Review of China Free Trade Zones Since 2013, Free Trade Zones (“FTZ”) in China have emerged increasingly, totaling 22 today as shown below,

In China, the right owner of the design of a product has several options to protect its IP rights: design patent, copyright, trade dress, etc.

Illinois Tool Works Inc. and its Chinese subsidiary ITW Performance Polymers (Wujiang) Co., Ltd. (collectively "ITW"),

We would like to inform that the Intellectual Property Department of Hong Kong recently announced a significant leap into the future of IP registration: with effect from 28 June 2024,

We are pleased to inform you that the International (Nice) Classification of Goods and Services for the purposes of the registration of marks in Taiwan will undergo significant updates in its 12th edition, 2024.

According to the new Corporate Law, the registered capital of a limited company shall be paid-in by all shareholders within five years since the date of its establishment in accordance with the provision of the articles of association of the company.

The new Corporate Law come in to effect on July 1, 2024. In order to solve the problem of the convergence and application of the old and new laws after the implementation of the Corporate Law,

We are happy to receive an appreciation letter and are honored to be awarded as 2021 Best Agency for our efficient and effective legal services by Tencent, a leading multinational technology company specialized in Internet-related services. 

The 4th amendment to China Patent Law officially came into effective on June 1, 2021. The highlight of changes are:

The 10th National Lawyers Congress of China was recently held at the Great Hall of the People. Mr. Xuanguo Xiong, Vice Minister of Justice attended the congress and delivered the closing remarks. During the sessions, 130 law firms in China were awarded as “National Outstanding Law Firm”, whose selection process is extremely fierce, with only 0.4% law firms in China can be selected, making the award the top honour in China's lawyer industry.

Ms. Yinghui Han and Mr. Kim Lu, Partners of Chang Tsi & Partners, were invited to the Annual Conference Financial Street Forum 2021. They shared their expertise in legal affairs to the financial enterprises. 

i. Patent protection term and partial design After the 4th amendment of China Patent Law, China has extend the design patent protection term from 10 years to 15 years, from the date of filling. In the US, the term is also 15 years, from the date of grant. Before the amendment, China only allow to use solid lines to protect the design as whole product. Now, as the same in the US, China start to allow partial design protection by using broken lines.

In the past, most brands with no plan to enter the Taiwan market tend not to apply for trademark applications in Taiwan. However, with the massive trademark squatting disputes arising cross-strait in the past couple of years, now Chang Tsi & Partners recommends brand owners who would like to develop business in the Greater China area to consider applications for trademark protection in Taiwan.

This is an invalidation case, in which the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) made a breakthrough in determining whether the goods are similar between Class 22 and 23. It determined the similarity exists between the designated good in Class 23 of the Disputed Mark and the designated good "textile fiber raw materials, etc." in Class 22 of the Cited Mark. While determining the degree of similarity, the CNIPA comprehensively considered many factors, including the awareness of the applicant’s prior trademarks and the relevance of the products.

Please kindly be advised that Taiwan does not have an official copyright registration authority, but only have a business organization to register copyright materials. However, the recognized legal effect of the copyright certificate can also be guaranteed and can enforce your copyright when encountering infringement.