針對中國出口企業(yè)的國際商標保護

1、Global Trademark Protection for Chinese Corporations going out針對中國出口企業(yè)的國際商標保護Measures to Respond to Preemptive Registrations in Latin America在南美遭遇商標搶注的應對措施INTRODUCTION 簡介 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. 在當今時代，貿(mào)易是在全球范圍內(nèi)進行的。盡管大企業(yè)總是國際舞臺的主角，但是隨著網(wǎng)絡的快速發(fā)展，每天都有許多中小型企業(yè)試圖進入國際市場。 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). 世界四大集裝箱港口中，中國有三個，香港僅次于新加坡排第二，上海排第三，深圳排第四。這些都說明了中國是個大型出口國，事實上，在2007年，中國的出口總量占世界的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，中國有超過5000家國內(nèi)企業(yè)在世界172個國家和地區(qū)進行投資。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. 隨著南美地區(qū)經(jīng)濟的迅速發(fā)展和許多國家重點行業(yè)的開放，中國迅速發(fā)展的私營企業(yè)正在尋找機會進入南美市場，銷售所有可以想到的商品，如，機械、電子產(chǎn)品、數(shù)據(jù)處理裝置、服飾、紡織品、鋼鐵和手機等。 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.對于在國外生產(chǎn)或產(chǎn)品外銷的中國企業(yè)來說，如何保護他們的商標顯得尤為重要了。隨著中國企業(yè)向南美

7、國家出口數(shù)量的繼續(xù)增加，越來越多的中國企業(yè)希望知道怎樣在南美地區(qū)成功的注冊商標。 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. 盡管南美知識產(chǎn)權(quán)的法律體制有了顯著提高，但是有的地方仍然存在知識產(chǎn)權(quán)執(zhí)法力度不大的問題。為安全起見，中國企業(yè)必須在向國外銷售產(chǎn)品或服務時實施切實可行的策略，特別在南美國家。早期注冊一般要比后期遇

9、到搶注時花費少得多。 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. 對

10、中國企業(yè)來說，首先，當然是應該在國內(nèi)申請注冊，但是因為商標所有權(quán)有地域性，盡管在中國注冊了商標，但對銷往新市場商品的保護仍然是進行貿(mào)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. 有時，中國企業(yè)在南美國家起訴商標案件時尋求法律援助，盡管他們沒有在南美任何國家進行商標注冊，因為他們認為在他們的產(chǎn)品銷往南美國家以前不需要注冊。但這并不是一個好想法。Measures to Respond to Preemptive Registrations in Latin America在南美遭遇商標搶注的應對措施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. 許多中國企業(yè)成功的向南美國家銷售產(chǎn)品，或是在南美有分公司。他們成功的要素是他們懂得南美國家的商標法。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. 他們知道如果沒有盡早地注冊商標，該商標將會被其他未經(jīng)認可的申請人搶注或偶然注冊成功。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. 他們知道可以通過在該地區(qū)注冊商標來預防搶注行為的發(fā)生，而且是以后遇到商標糾紛時最有效的保護方法。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. 我將盡力提供一個全面的概述，包括相關(guān)因素和應該采取的行動，幫助你們克服在南美國家遭遇商標搶注的問題。THE COMPANY 該公司 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. 為了便于說明，我將以一個已經(jīng)擁有商標的中國企業(yè)為例， 但是文中所述只是假設。 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. 這公司是SINOCHEM CORPORATION，是中國化工行業(yè)的領(lǐng)頭企業(yè)。截至2007年，該公司已經(jīng)連續(xù)17次被列為全國五百強企業(yè)，2007排第299位。另外，在2002年該公司商標和標語被中國工商部門認定為中國馳名商標，2004年該SINOCHEM 商標的評估價格是5

18、76.89億，位于中國最有價值商標的第五位。 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. 該公司有個分公司叫做SINOCHEM NINGBO LTD 除其他外，經(jīng)營化學，制藥公司和一個技術(shù)研究所。 為了便于介紹，將下文 SINOCHEM CORPORATION 或SINOCHEM NINGBO 統(tǒng)稱為SINOCHEM。Response THE TRADEMARK 該商標 SINOCHEM NINGBO LTD. has developed a brand, 思寧 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 公司創(chuàng)造了一個名叫思寧 or SINING® 的商標，用于藥劑配方，包括：藥片，膠囊，注射劑，粉末注射劑，口服液，軟膏和霜，懸浮液，氣霧

21、劑，滴劑，等等。所有的這些產(chǎn)品都屬于尼期分類的第五類。 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® 在中國成為注冊商標。其醫(yī)藥產(chǎn)品占領(lǐng)了中國市場。之后，該公司又向世界市場邁進，特別針對向亞洲、非洲和南美國家，希望使商標SINING®成為馳名商標。Measures to Respond to THE TERRITORY 南美地區(qū)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. 許多中國企業(yè)像SINOCHEM一樣將南美國家作為出口對象，因為他們市場是開放的，而且受到西方文化、品味和服飾的影響，對工業(yè)產(chǎn)品的低關(guān)稅也是吸引出口商的有例條件。Countries covered in this presentation:演講中所指的南美國家包括: Argentina 阿根廷 Bolivia 玻利維亞Brazil 巴西Chile 智利 Colombia

24、 哥倫比亞 Costa Rica 哥斯達黎 Cuba 古巴 Dominican Republic 多米尼共和國 Ecuador 厄瓜多爾El Salvador 薩爾瓦多 Guatemala 危地Honduras 洪都拉斯Mexico 墨西哥Nicaragua 尼加拉瓜Panama 巴拿馬Paraguay 巴拉圭Peru 秘魯Uruguay 烏拉圭Venezuela 委內(nèi)瑞拉RELEVANT FACTORS 相關(guān)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: 避免和應對商標搶注并不是件簡單的事情，當你在拉丁美洲不同國家采取行動之前，要將下面幾個要素印在腦海里。JURISDICTION 權(quán)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. 中國企業(yè)在拉美國家申請注冊是件不容易的事 Dont forget Latin America is an actual group of sub-regions rather than one region, and does not have a single, uniform legal system. 不要忘記拉丁美洲并不是一個獨立的地區(qū)，沒有獨立、統(tǒng)一的法律體系。 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 每個國家法律措施和規(guī)定的多樣性使得最有經(jīng)驗的IP律師在處理權(quán)力所有人遭遇搶注時都感到頭痛。 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. 外語中復雜的名稱和詞匯可使習慣于獨立的、有著統(tǒng)一體系的、說母語的國家進行業(yè)務的出口商不知所措。這就是為什么我們建議你們首先要了解你們的目標出口國。 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: 將發(fā)生商標搶注的國家與其它國家

30、區(qū)分開來是很關(guān)鍵的，如果你在一個國家遭遇商標搶注，但你向另一個國家咨詢處理方法，那么你所咨詢到的方法是沒用的。在確定國家時一些經(jīng)常犯的錯誤: Paraguay 巴拉圭- Panama 巴拿馬 Paraguay 巴拉圭- Uruguay 烏拉圭 El Salvador薩爾瓦多 - Ecuador 厄瓜多爾 Costa Rica 哥斯達黎加- 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. 在遭遇搶注時錯誤確定國家，可能導致時間和金錢的浪費，在一些情況下時間比金錢更寶貴。SEARCH / WATCH SERVICES 檢索 / 觀察服務 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. 在過去和現(xiàn)在如果有試圖在拉美國家注冊SINING的商標都是相關(guān)的，幾天前我會在阿根廷、巴西、哥倫比亞、墨西哥、巴拿馬、秘魯、烏拉圭和委內(nèi)瑞拉進行關(guān)于SINING 的非官方檢索，檢索結(jié)果是沒人在這幾個國家注冊。 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公司首先也要進行搜集和研究，查看是否已經(jīng)有人在這些國家注冊。 Trademark searches often provide valuable information which could help SINOCHEM in: 進行檢索經(jīng)?？梢蕴峁┮恍┯袃r值的信息幫助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況需要在申請SINING商標之前解決。knowing if it is safe to start using the SINING mark before filing an application for it.在申請SINING商標之前，是否可以安全使用該商標。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). 是否應該以中國的商標向拉美國家提出申請，或是應該以一種拉美國家的語言（西班牙語、葡萄牙語和英語）為基礎(chǔ)創(chuàng)造一個新商標，并提出申請。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 打算在拉丁美洲銷售他們的產(chǎn)品，他們至少應該監(jiān)測專利商標局受理的SINOCHEM

37、商標申請，因為如果注冊成功，將會給SINOCHEM 帶來很大的麻煩。即使SINOCHEM 已經(jīng)在該地區(qū)銷售產(chǎn)品了，他們還是要監(jiān)測他們的SINOCHEM 商標。 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. 因為在大多數(shù)的拉美國家，公告都是以西班牙語印刷的，所以如果SINOCHEM不能在中國很好的監(jiān)測其商標，就應該考慮在相關(guān)國家找一個監(jiān)察服務代理機構(gòu)，將結(jié)果以中文或其它形式匯報。LANGUAGE 語言 Chinese trademark owners should exercise caution when selecting trademarks for application in Latin America. 中國商標所有人在拉美國家申請注冊商標時應該十分謹慎。 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. 一些國家 如巴拿馬 要求同時提交非西班牙語字詞組成商標的西班牙語譯文。 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. 由翻譯或音譯注冊的商標可能與該國事實上毫無關(guān)系的一些商標相沖突。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.讀音相似 發(fā)音與某個注冊商標相似視覺相似 中國文字與某注冊商標的圖案相似圖形相似 譯文與某注冊文字或組合商標相似概念相似 譯文與某注冊商標的意思相同 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. 中國企業(yè)以西班牙語或英語創(chuàng)造自己的品牌和商標是很明智的，因為除了巴西（講葡萄牙語）以外整個拉丁美洲國家都會知道他們的商標或品牌。LEGAL ADVICE 法律意見 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. 當未經(jīng)授權(quán)的申請人申請它的注冊商標，進入拉美市場的中國企業(yè)將處于危險之中，所以中國企業(yè)應該盡早地擁有合格的中國和/或拉丁美洲的律師。 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. 中國企業(yè)為了在拉美國家得到法律建議和幫助所聘請的律師應該具有專業(yè)的知識產(chǎn)權(quán)知識并且熟悉當?shù)氐那闆r。REGISTRATION SYSTEM 注冊體系 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. 中國企業(yè)在處理搶注事件時所遇到的情況可能比根據(jù)注冊體系所假設的情況要好或更遭。 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、先申請，商標法已經(jīng)在許多拉美國家建立了“在先申請” 體系，也就是第一個在專利商標局注冊成功。這個體系會將商標SINING® 授予任何一個商標申請成功的申請人，盡管它是SINOCHEM公司的商標，而且SINOCHEM公司早已經(jīng)在市場中使用該商標了。 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. 在一些國家中，如果未經(jīng)認可的申請人成功注冊SINING®, 商標，那么該申請人就是該商標的合法所有人，除非SINOCHEM公司成功的取消了該申請人的注冊商標或是雙方協(xié)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). 在拉美國家，“在先申請” 體系適用于洪都拉斯、巴西以及安第斯共同體國家（哥倫比亞、秘魯、厄瓜多爾、委內(nèi)瑞拉和玻利維亞） 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，一些國家已經(jīng)建立了“在先使用” 的注冊體系，在這個體系下，如

51、果SINOCHEM公司反對未經(jīng)認可的申請人注冊SINING®商標，SINOCHEM公司需要提供有效證據(jù)證明對該商標擁有所有權(quán)，證明他們是第一個將該商標或與該商標相似的商標用于商業(yè)中。PRODUCTS/SERVICES AND CLASSES商品 / 服務和類別 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. 商標是按類別注冊的，拉美國家的商品和服務采取的是尼斯分類體系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. 審查商標的使用商品或服務是很重要的，查看權(quán)利人是否應該為某一類別的產(chǎn)品或服務尋求保護。 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. 但是對SINOCHEM 公司來說，不能或者只能嘗試地阻止他人使用或取消他人申請SINING®商標，如果他人注冊申請的產(chǎn)品不屬于第五類別，比方說屬于第10類別 手術(shù)儀器和醫(yī)療器械。只要他人不是為相關(guān)商品或服務申請注冊SINING®商標。 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適用于某一特定種類的產(chǎn)品 （食用食品，藥品，化妝品）WELL KNOWN TRADEMARKS 馳名商標 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. 因為南美國家是巴黎公約的成員國，所有國家都保護馳名商標。所以一旦商標所有人可以證明該商標是馳名商標，就另當別論了。 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. 一般情況下，未注冊的馳名商標所有人，根據(jù)法律可以禁止他人注冊相同或相似的商標。 When it comes to trademark use, however, the owner would not be entitled to initiate actions against infringement of his unregistered trademark. 但是對使用商標來說，未注冊的商標所有人沒有權(quán)利禁止他人注冊其商標。MARKET ENTRY PLA