Many well-known Western brands are doing business in China as retailers, manufacturers or both. Although online business is booming in China, most brand owners have their fair share of 'horror stories' when it comes to registering, protecting, or enforcing their brands in China. The cultural and linguistic differences are self-explanatory and are generally respected and understood by Western businesses. However, many Western companies—even practitioners who call themselves 'China experts'—still wrongly assume that China follows the same legal system and trademark principles familiar to Westerners. In this article, Finnegan attorneys Amy Hsiao and B. Brett Heavner discuss what trademark owners need to do when entering the Chinese marketplace.
Previously published in Trademarks & Brands Online
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