Newsletter
PRC STEPS UP EFFORTS AGAINST INFRINGEMENT OF FOREIGN TRADEMARK
According to statistics issued on 22 March 2005 by the PRC’s State Administration for Industry and Commerce, 5401 cases of infringement of foreign trademarks were investigated in 2004 throughout the PRC, an increase of 158% over 2003.
The five provinces and municipalities where the largest number of foreign trademark infringe-ment cases were investigated were, in ranking order, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shanxi, Guangdong, and Beijing, which together accounted for 74.5% of all cases nationwide. The first four provinces and municipalities for major cases with an illegal business value exceeding RMB1 million each were Jiangsu, Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Beijing. The provinces where the largest amounts were imposed in fines were Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Guangdong, and Fujian, in each of which total fines exceeded RMB10 million. The five lead-ing provinces and municipalities for criminal prosecutions against infringements were Zheji-ang, Guangdong, Shanxi, Fujian, and Shanghai.