Not long after the London Olympics, trademark registration information such as "Lin Dan" brand feed and "Ye Shiwen" brand swimsuits continued to appear in media reports. On August 26, 2012, CCTV's "Weekly Quality Report" reported that a new group has emerged in the trademark market in recent years - professional trademark squatters. They apply for trademarks not for their own use, but to make unfair profits by transferring trademarks at high prices. In this regard, the industry and commerce department stated that it is currently exploring the establishment of a "blacklist" system for individuals, companies and agencies that maliciously register other people's trademarks.
Enter the two keywords "Olympic champion" and "trademark" on Baidu search engine, and there are more than 2.2 million related search results. Among them, there are various contents such as "Lin Dan's trademark was registered for pig feed", "Ye Shiwen became a famous brand of underwear", "Chen Yibing became an ice cream trademark", etc.
Li Wei, director of the Fourth Division of Trademark Trial Cases of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, said that most of them are a new group that has emerged in recent years - professional trademark squatters. "The purpose of applying for trademarks is not for their own use, but to make unfair profits through high-priced transfers of trademarks, and even through some acts of extortion."
It is understood that the handling fee for applying to register a category of trademarks with my country’s industrial and commercial authorities is about one thousand yuan, and it can be used on up to 10 goods or services of the same category. Once the registration is successful, the price of trademark transfer through the market can range from tens of thousands of yuan to millions or even more. Many professional squatters are crazy about registering trademarks, hoping to make huge profits.
According to statistics, my country ranks first in the world in terms of cumulative number of trademark applications and registrations. This number has been rising sharply year after year, but a large number of registered trademarks are idle and unused. According to statistics, in the past two years, the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce has resolved more than 10,000 cases of malicious registration of public resources and tourism trademarks. In this regard, the industrial and commercial authorities suggest that we should first enhance awareness of trademark protection and take relevant measures to prevent and respond to malicious registration incidents.
Relying on malicious registration of celebrity names or other well-known names as trademarks not only violates my country's Trademark Law, but also seriously disrupts the order of trademark registration and use in my country. The industrial and commercial authorities are currently exploring the establishment of a "blacklist" system for individuals, companies and agencies that maliciously register other people's trademarks to effectively curb unfair competition related to trademark ownership.