Olympic endeavours

In what many might see as an ironic turn of events, the Chinese government has recently announced a crackdown on unauthorised use of the Olympics logo or competitors’ names in the run up to the 2022 Winter Olympic Games being held in Beijing.

As part of the move, the Chinese Trade Mark Office will be on high alert for any suspect trade mark applications containing Olympic related elements or the names of famous athletes. The authorities will also carry out inspections of e-commerce platforms like Alibaba and large factories producing suspect goods

In the beginning of December, authorities announced they had already seized over 100 counterfeit goods bearing the Olympic interlocking ring symbol, all of which had been produced without permission from the International Olympic Committee.

Briffa comment

Despite the traditional view of China as a ‘no-go’ for intellectual property rights, the move marks an increasing shift towards local views as to the importance of securing IPR. With the rise of Chinese brands like Huawei on the international stage, the domestic market is increasingly becoming aware of the value in protecting intellectual property rights.

Here at Briffa, the team benefits from over 25 years’ experience assisting with trade mark and design claims in nearly every jurisdiction in the world and we are able to assist in all aspects of the process from initial filing to enforcement. If you need any further information in this regard please do feel free to get in touch with us via info@briffa.com.