Beijing is carrying out strong protection of 23 well-known foreign trademarks such as Montblanc, Dunhill, Piaget, CD, Omega and Boss. Unlawful sales will result in confiscation of all goods with no need to present evidence. Illegal sellers will be severely punished.

 

Mr. Liu Zhengang, Director General of the Beijing Municipal Intellectual Property Bureau, said on April 13 that in recent years, Beijing has instituted detailed action plans and has seriously combated illegal activities of IPR infringement, counterfeit and piracy.

 

In the past year, Beijing's trademark supervision and management departments have registered and investigated 1,791 trademark infringement cases, of which 778 involved foreign trademarks, and recorded nearly 4 million RMB (US$500,000) in fines.

 

Besides, Olympic Games intellectual property right (IPR) protection has also begun implementation. The Beijing Bureau of Industry and Commerce attaches great importance to the protection of Olympic symbols. After the Olympic mascots Five Friendlies were unveiled last year, cases of illegal use of the Five Friendlies' images on key rings, fountain pens and balloons saw an uptrend in the market.

 

However, uncovered cases merely involved sales of such products by peddlers; no production sites of such fake goods were discovered, nor any of these cases involved criminal liabilities.

 

Liu indicated that Beijing would reinforce communication with IPR protection organizations and corporations at home and abroad, focus on combating trademark infringement and pirated CD and software, and strive to build the capital into a city of consummate IPR creation, protection, utilization and service.

 

(Chinanews.cn April 15, 2006)