针对中国出口企业的国际商标保护

1、Global Trademark Protection for Chinese Corporations going out针对中国出口企业的国际商标保护Measures to Respond to Preemptive Registrations in Latin America在南美遭遇商标抢注的应对措施INTRODUCTION 简介 In present times business is conducted in a global context.Although big companies are always international players, with the incr

2、easing presence of the Internet, every day more medium and small size businesses than ever before are looking beyond the borders, too. 在当今时代，贸易是在全球范围内进行的。尽管大企业总是国际舞台的主角，但是随着网络的快速发展，每天都有许多中小型企业试图进入国际市场。 China has three of the world's top four container ports. Hong Kong is second only to Singapore

3、; Shanghai is number three and Shenzhen number four(1). It means China have huge exports; actually, in 2007 they represented 5.9% of the world's exports(2). 世界四大集装箱港口中，中国有三个，香港仅次于新加坡排第二，上海排第三，深圳排第四。这些都说明了中国是个大型出口国，事实上，在2007年，中国的出口总量占世界的5.9% By the end of 2007, more than 5,000 domestic Chinese en

4、terprises had established direct investments in 172 countries and regions around the world(4). 截止2007年，中国有超过5000家国内企业在世界172个国家和地区进行投资。As Latin American emerging economies keep expanding and liberalizing many of their key sectors, the Chinese rapidly growing-private sector is seeking new opportunitie

5、s to enter these markets to sell almost every imaginable product: machinery, electrical products, data processing equipment, apparel, textile, steel, mobile phones, etc. 随着南美地区经济的迅速发展和许多国家重点行业的开放，中国迅速发展的私营企业正在寻找机会进入南美市场，销售所有可以想到的商品，如，机械、电子产品、数据处理装置、服饰、纺织品、钢铁和手机等。 The protection of their trademarks i

6、s now becoming a priority for many Chinese companies operating or selling outside of China. While China exports to Latin American countries continue to grow, more an more Chinese companies have questions about how to succeed in protecting their IP there.对于在国外生产或产品外销的中国企业来说，如何保护他们的商标显得尤为重要了。随着中国企业向南美

7、国家出口数量的继续增加，越来越多的中国企业希望知道怎样在南美地区成功的注册商标。 Although Latin American Intellectual Property (IP) legal frameworks have experienced notable improvements, there are still places where IP enforcement is not strong enough. Chinese companies should develop realistic strategies for placing their trademarks on

8、the safe side before they start selling a product or service outside of China, especially in Latin America, where filing earlier is usually much cheaper than challenging a preemptive registration later. 尽管南美知识产权的法律体制有了显著提高，但是有的地方仍然存在知识产权执法力度不大的问题。为安全起见，中国企业必须在向国外销售产品或服务时实施切实可行的策略，特别在南美国家。早期注册一般要比后期遇

9、到抢注时花费少得多。 The first choice for Chinese companies should be to file applications in China, of course; but trademark rights are territorial so, even if they are registered in China, their protection in the new market should be regarded as one of the most important steps that a business should take. 对

10、中国企业来说，首先，当然是应该在国内申请注册，但是因为商标所有权有地域性，尽管在中国注册了商标，但对销往新市场商品的保护仍然是进行贸易的第一步。 Sometimes, Chinese companies seek legal assistance in prosecuting trademark cases in Latin America, without even having a trademark registered in these countries, because they never thought they needed to register anything ther

11、e. However, waiting until the company's product succeeds in Latin America to trademark in Latin America is probably not a good idea. 有时，中国企业在南美国家起诉商标案件时寻求法律援助，尽管他们没有在南美任何国家进行商标注册，因为他们认为在他们的产品销往南美国家以前不需要注册。但这并不是一个好想法。Measures to Respond to Preemptive Registrations in Latin America在南美遭遇商标抢注的应对措施Ma

12、ny Chinese companies are successfully exporting to Latin American markets or have a presence there. One of the keys to their success is to know and understand the trademark laws of these countries. 许多中国企业成功的向南美国家销售产品，或是在南美有分公司。他们成功的要素是他们懂得南美国家的商标法。They know that if they don't register their trad

13、emark early enough, it could be successfully registered by an unauthorized applicant, either will fully or by chance. 他们知道如果没有尽早地注册商标，该商标将会被其他未经认可的申请人抢注或偶然注册成功。They know they can be prevented from obtaining registrations in Latin American countries by such an unauthorized registrant, and the options

14、 that are best suited for their engaging in a dispute for their trademark rights. 他们知道可以通过在该地区注册商标来预防抢注行为的发生，而且是以后遇到商标纠纷时最有效的保护方法。I will try to give you an overview of the problem, the relevant factors to, and the actions to overcome the challenge posed by, preemptive registrations in Latin American

15、 countries. 我将尽力提供一个全面的概述，包括相关因素和应该采取的行动，帮助你们克服在南美国家遭遇商标抢注的问题。THE COMPANY 该公司 To better illustrate my presentation I will refer to an actual Chinese company, which is the owner of an existing trademark, but in the context of hypothetical examples. 为了便于说明，我将以一个已经拥有商标的中国企业为例， 但是文中所述只是假设。 The company i

16、s called SINOCHEM CORPORATION, which is a major player in the Chinese chemical industry. In 2007 it was ranked 299th among the Fortune Global 500 Companies, where it has been listed for 17 consecutive years. In addition, in 2002 their brand and logo were acknowledged as Famous Brands by the State Ad

17、ministration of Industry and Commerce and in 2004, the SINOCHEM brand was evaluated at 57.689 billion RMB, ranking 5th in the list of most valuable Chinese brands. 这公司是SINOCHEM CORPORATION，是中国化工行业的领头企业。截至2007年，该公司已经连续17次被列为全国五百强企业，2007排第299位。另外，在2002年该公司商标和标语被中国工商部门认定为中国驰名商标，2004年该SINOCHEM 商标的评估价格是5

18、76.89亿，位于中国最有价值商标的第五位。 SINOCHEM CORPORATION has a subsidiary called SINOCHEM NINGBO LTD., operating, among others, chemical, pharmaceutical divisions and an institute of technology.Hereinafter, and for the purpose of this presentation, I will refer to eitherSINOCHEM CORPORATION or SINOCHEM NINGBO as

19、 SINOCHEM. 该公司有个分公司叫做SINOCHEM NINGBO LTD 除其他外，经营化学，制药公司和一个技术研究所。 为了便于介绍，将下文 SINOCHEM CORPORATION 或SINOCHEM NINGBO 统称为SINOCHEM。Response THE TRADEMARK 该商标 SINOCHEM NINGBO LTD. has developed a brand, 思宁 or SINING®, for pharmaceutical formulations contained in tablets, capsules, injections, powders

20、 for injection, oral liquids, ointments and creams, suspensions, aerosols, drops, as well as some slow and controlled release formulations. All of these products pertain to class 5 of the Nice ClassificationSINOCHEM NINGBO LTD 公司创造了一个名叫思宁 or SINING® 的商标，用于药剂配方，包括：药片，胶囊，注射剂，粉末注射剂，口服液，软膏和霜，悬浮液，气雾

21、剂，滴剂，等等。所有的这些产品都属于尼期分类的第五类。 SINING® is a registered trademark in China since September 21, 1998. After their medicine products were well established in China, they expanded into foreign markets, especially in Asia, Africa and South America, aiming to make SINING® a world-known brand. 1998年

22、9月21日SINING® 在中国成为注册商标。其医药产品占领了中国市场。之后，该公司又向世界市场迈进，特别针对向亚洲、非洲和南美国家，希望使商标SINING®成为驰名商标。Measures to Respond to THE TERRITORY 南美地区性 Latin American countries are a target for Chinese exporters like SINOCHEM, as their markets are opening free. These markets are influenced by Western culture, ta

23、stes and purchasing costumes. Lower tariffs on manufactured products are also becoming an advantage for exporters. 许多中国企业像SINOCHEM一样将南美国家作为出口对象，因为他们市场是开放的，而且受到西方文化、品味和服饰的影响，对工业产品的低关税也是吸引出口商的有例条件。Countries covered in this presentation:演讲中所指的南美国家包括: Argentina 阿根廷 Bolivia 玻利维亚Brazil 巴西Chile 智利 Colombia

24、 哥伦比亚 Costa Rica 哥斯达黎 Cuba 古巴 Dominican Republic 多米尼共和国 Ecuador 厄瓜多尔El Salvador 萨尔瓦多 Guatemala 危地Honduras 洪都拉斯Mexico 墨西哥Nicaragua 尼加拉瓜Panama 巴拿马Paraguay 巴拉圭Peru 秘鲁Uruguay 乌拉圭Venezuela 委内瑞拉RELEVANT FACTORS 相关要素 Adopting an strategy aiming to avoid, or to respond to, preemptive registrations is not an

25、 easy task. The following is intended to establish several basic factors that should be kept in mind when choosing a course of action in the different Latin American countries: 避免和应对商标抢注并不是件简单的事情，当你在拉丁美洲不同国家采取行动之前，要将下面几个要素印在脑海里。JURISDICTION 权限 Latin America could be one of the toughest regions in th

26、e world for a Chinese company, when it comes to IP requirements. 中国企业在拉美国家申请注册是件不容易的事 Dont forget Latin America is an actual group of sub-regions rather than one region, and does not have a single, uniform legal system. 不要忘记拉丁美洲并不是一个独立的地区，没有独立、统一的法律体系。 The diversity of legal measures and provisions

27、offered by each country to the brand owner to respond to a preemptive registration may seem daunting to even the most experienced IP practicioner 每个国家法律措施和规定的多样性使得最有经验的IP律师在处理权力所有人遭遇抢注时都感到头痛。 The multiplicity of names and words in a foreign language can overwhelm new exporters, used to conduct opera

28、tions in a single country with a uniform system, and speaking their own language or a similar one. This is why the first step we recommend to take is to properly identify the target countries. 外语中复杂的名称和词汇可使习惯于独立的、有着统一体系的、说母语的国家进行业务的出口商不知所措。这就是为什么我们建议你们首先要了解你们的目标出口国。 Differentiating the country where

29、 a preemptive registration was found, from others, is critical. If a consultation is sent in reference to IP issues in one country, while the actual cases take place in other, you may get useless information. Some of the frequent mistakes when identifying the country of interest are: 将发生商标抢注的国家与其它国家

30、区分开来是很关键的，如果你在一个国家遭遇商标抢注，但你向另一个国家咨询处理方法，那么你所咨询到的方法是没用的。在确定国家时一些经常犯的错误: Paraguay 巴拉圭- Panama 巴拿马 Paraguay 巴拉圭- Uruguay 乌拉圭 El Salvador萨尔瓦多 - Ecuador 厄瓜多尔 Costa Rica 哥斯达黎加- Puerto Rico 波多黎各A mistake when identifying the country where the conflict takes place could lead to a waste of time and money, in

31、 situations where time may be even more valuable than money. 在遭遇抢注时错误确定国家，可能导致时间和金钱的浪费，在一些情况下时间比金钱更宝贵。SEARCH / WATCH SERVICES 检索 / 观察服务 As past and current attempts, if any, to register the mark SINING in Latin American countries, are relevant, I had an unofficial search conducted for the word mark

32、SINING a few days ago in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela which resulted in no registrations found. 在过去和现在如果有试图在拉美国家注册SINING的商标都是相关的，几天前我会在阿根廷、巴西、哥伦比亚、墨西哥、巴拿马、秘鲁、乌拉圭和委内瑞拉进行关于SINING 的非官方检索，检索结果是没人在这几个国家注册。 It would be important for SINOCHEM to collect and study

33、 information first, in order to know if there is a preemptive registration in the countries where registration of SINING is sought. SINOCHEM公司首先也要进行搜集和研究，查看是否已经有人在这些国家注册。 Trademark searches often provide valuable information which could help SINOCHEM in: 进行检索经常可以提供一些有价值的信息帮助SINOCHEM公司： knowing if th

34、ere are legal situations that may need to be resolved before filing an application for SINING; 了解是否存在一些法律情况需要在申请SINING商标之前解决。knowing if it is safe to start using the SINING mark before filing an application for it.在申请SINING商标之前，是否可以安全使用该商标。deciding whether they should file for their original Chinese

35、 trademark or if they should develop a trademark in one of the predominant languages in Latin America (Spanish, Portuguese and English). 是否应该以中国的商标向拉美国家提出申请，或是应该以一种拉美国家的语言（西班牙语、葡萄牙语和英语）为基础创造一个新商标，并提出申请。If SINOCHEM is planning to sell their products in Latin American markets in the future, they shoul

36、d, at least, monitor publications of relevant PTOs to be informed of new applications for SINING posing a potential problem when entering these markets. Even if SINOCHEM is already doing business in the region, they must watch their trademark rights.如果SINOCHEM 打算在拉丁美洲销售他们的产品，他们至少应该监测专利商标局受理的SINOCHEM

37、商标申请，因为如果注册成功，将会给SINOCHEM 带来很大的麻烦。即使SINOCHEM 已经在该地区销售产品了，他们还是要监测他们的SINOCHEM 商标。 Since trademark bulletins and gazettes in most Latin American countries are published in Spanish, if SINOCHEM cannot properly monitor the situation from China, they should consider arranging for a watch service to do it

38、in the relevant country, and report in Chinese or otherwise. 因为在大多数的拉美国家，公告都是以西班牙语印刷的，所以如果SINOCHEM不能在中国很好的监测其商标，就应该考虑在相关国家找一个监察服务代理机构，将结果以中文或其它形式汇报。LANGUAGE 语言 Chinese trademark owners should exercise caution when selecting trademarks for application in Latin America. 中国商标所有人在拉美国家申请注册商标时应该十分谨慎。 Ther

39、e are countries -like Panama- requiring that trademarks represented by words in languages other than Spanish should be filed along with their translation. 一些国家 如巴拿马 要求同时提交非西班牙语字词组成商标的西班牙语译文。 The trademark resulting from translation or transliteration might, however, be conflictive with an actually u

40、nrelated, but similar, trademark in the country where registration is sought. 由翻译或音译注册的商标可能与该国事实上毫无关系的一些商标相冲突。Likelihood of confusion: 混淆: Phonetic similarity - Sounds similar to a registered trademark;Visual similarity - Chinese characters are similar to a registered device trademark; Graphic simil

41、arity - the transliteration results in a registered word or combined mark; Conceptual similarity - Translation means the same as a registered trademark.读音相似 发音与某个注册商标相似视觉相似 中国文字与某注册商标的图案相似图形相似 译文与某注册文字或组合商标相似概念相似 译文与某注册商标的意思相同 It is often advisable for Chinese companies to create and trademark Spani

42、sh or English brands, because those are the languages in which most of brands are known in Latin American countries, except in Brazil, where they speak Portuguese. 中国企业以西班牙语或英语创造自己的品牌和商标是很明智的，因为除了巴西（讲葡萄牙语）以外整个拉丁美洲国家都会知道他们的商标或品牌。LEGAL ADVICE 法律意见 When a Chinese company's incursion into Latin Amer

43、ican markets is put at risk by the registration of their trademark by unauthorized registrants, they should retain qualified Chinese and/or Latin American counsel at an early stage. 当未经授权的申请人申请它的注册商标，进入拉美市场的中国企业将处于危险之中，所以中国企业应该尽早地拥有合格的中国和/或拉丁美洲的律师。 The law firms these companies hire for legal advice

44、 and assistance in pursuing their IP rights in Latin America should be specializing in IP and have expertise in the region. 中国企业为了在拉美国家得到法律建议和帮助所聘请的律师应该具有专业的知识产权知识并且熟悉当地的情况。REGISTRATION SYSTEM 注册体系 Be aware of the system in use in the country where the registration is sought. Depending on the system

45、, the scenario may be a better or a worst one for a Chinese trademark trying to deal with a preemptive registration. 中国企业在处理抢注事件时所遇到的情况可能比根据注册体系所假设的情况要好或更遭。 First to file. Trademark laws have established a "first-to-file" system in several Latin American countries, actually referring to th

46、e first to successfully register a given trademark with the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO). This system would grant a trademark registration for SINING® to whoever the first successful applicant is, even while it is SINOCHEMs mark and SINOCHEM has been using it in commerce for a long time. 在

47、先申请，商标法已经在许多拉美国家建立了“在先申请” 体系，也就是第一个在专利商标局注册成功。这个体系会将商标SINING® 授予任何一个商标申请成功的申请人，尽管它是SINOCHEM公司的商标，而且SINOCHEM公司早已经在市场中使用该商标了。 In these countries, if the unauthorized registrant successfully registered SINING®, the unauthorized registrant becomes the legal owner of SINING® unless SINOCHE

48、M succeeds in cancelling the unauthorized registration of SINING® or otherwise negotiate. 在一些国家中，如果未经认可的申请人成功注册SINING®, 商标，那么该申请人就是该商标的合法所有人，除非SINOCHEM公司成功的取消了该申请人的注册商标或是双方协商。 In Latin America, the "first-to-file" system is in use by PTOs in Honduras, Brazil and the member countr

49、ies of the Andean Community (Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela and Bolivia). 在拉美国家，“在先申请” 体系适用于洪都拉斯、巴西以及安第斯共同体国家（哥伦比亚、秘鲁、厄瓜多尔、委内瑞拉和玻利维亚） First to use. Other countries adopted a "first-to-use" trademark registration system. Under this system, if SINOCHEM challenges the registration of SINI

50、NG® made by an unauthorized party, SINOCHEM would be required to produce evidence of a best right to the SINING® mark, accrediting their first use of SINING® in commerce on products indicated in, or similar to those of, the unauthorized registration.在先使用，一些国家已经建立了“在先使用” 的注册体系，在这个体系下，如

51、果SINOCHEM公司反对未经认可的申请人注册SINING®商标，SINOCHEM公司需要提供有效证据证明对该商标拥有所有权，证明他们是第一个将该商标或与该商标相似的商标用于商业中。PRODUCTS/SERVICES AND CLASSES商品 / 服务和类别 Trademarks are registered under, and in respect to, a classification system. Latin American countries have adopted the Nice Classification System for products and s

52、ervices. 商标是按类别注册的，拉美国家的商品和服务采取的是尼斯分类体系It is important to review the products/services intended to be covered with the application, to determine whether the owner should seek protection in classes with similar or related products/services. 审查商标的使用商品或服务是很重要的，查看权利人是否应该为某一类别的产品或服务寻求保护。 There are countr

53、ies in Latin America where SINOCHEM could do nothing or very little to try to stop the use, or cancel a registration, of SINING® in a class other than class 5 - let's say, in class 10, for surgical and medical instruments - if they do not hold a registration of SINING® for the relevant

54、 product/service class. 但是对SINOCHEM 公司来说，不能或者只能尝试地阻止他人使用或取消他人申请SINING®商标，如果他人注册申请的产品不属于第五类别，比方说属于第10类别 手术仪器和医疗器械。只要他人不是为相关商品或服务申请注册SINING®商标。 On the other hand, there may be non-procedural measures suitable to a particular kind of products (edible, pharmaceutical, cosmetic products), as I

55、will later explain. 另一方面可能有非程序性上的措施适用于某一特定种类的产品 （食用食品，药品，化妆品）WELL KNOWN TRADEMARKS 驰名商标 As they are members of the Paris Convention, all the countries in Latin America afford protection to well-known trademarks. When a trademark owner is able to obtain recognition for its trademark as well-known, th

56、e rules change. 因为南美国家是巴黎公约的成员国，所有国家都保护驰名商标。所以一旦商标所有人可以证明该商标是驰名商标，就另当别论了。 In general terms, the owner of a well-known trademark not registered with the relevant PTO is allowed by Law to prevent others from obtaining a trademark registration for an identical or similar mark. 一般情况下，未注册的驰名商标所有人，根据法律可以禁止他人注册相同或相似的商标。 When it comes to trademark use, however, the owner would not be entitled to initiate actions against infringement of his unregistered trademark. 但是对使用商标来说，未注册的商标所有人没有权利禁止他人注册其商标。MARKET ENTRY PLA