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Flat illustration: a small business owner with a coin purse places an amber shield on the lowest of three shelves
21 October 2026
原创

Small Brand, Limited Budget: Which IP Protection to Pay for First in China

Small brands that make products in China often ask the same question: with a limited budget, which intellectual property protection should we pay for first? You cannot register everything in every class, and not every right fits every product. This guide sets out an order that works for most small brands manufacturing or selling in China, what each step protects, and what can usually wait. It is general information; the right order depends on your product, where you sell and how you work with your factories.

Flat illustration: a photographer shoots a teapot in a studio while a masked figure walks off with a framed copy of the photo
20 October 2026
原创

Your Product Photos Copied on Chinese Marketplaces: Copyright, Trademark or Design?

A frequent complaint from brands that sell online: their product photos turn up in listings on Alibaba, AliExpress, Taobao or 1688, sometimes next to copies of the product itself. Before filing a complaint, it helps to separate three different problems, because each one is handled by a different right: someone using your photos, someone using your brand, and someone selling a product that looks like yours. This guide explains which right covers what in China and what evidence platforms usually ask for. It is general information; platform rules and the facts of each case decide the outcome.

Flat illustration: a crane lifts a container marked with an amber shield onto a ship, beside a factory at the port
19 October 2026
原创

Made in China, Not Sold in China: Do You Still Need a Chinese Trademark?

A common question from brands that manufacture in China: "We only make our products there and ship everything abroad. We never sell in China. Do we still need a Chinese trademark?" The short answer is usually yes, if your brand appears on the goods or packaging made in China. The reason is not Chinese consumers. It is that someone else can register your brand in China and use that registration against your factory and your export shipments. This guide explains the risk, how Chinese courts have treated original equipment manufacturing (OEM), and what to do. It is general information; Chinese law and the facts of each case decide the outcome.

A magnifying glass over a patent document (symbolising international search), beside a rising stack of coins with an upward arrow and a calendar page marking a date — symbolising Sweden's PRV increasing its PCT search fees from a set date
18 October 2026
PCT, Official IP Fees, Sweden

Sweden's PRV Raises PCT Search Fees: From 1 December, the International, Additional and Supplementary Search Fees Are All SEK 21,210

Sweden's IP office, the PRV (Patent- och registreringsverket / Swedish Intellectual Property Office), announced on 13 October that, due to currency adjustments, from 1 December 2026 the PCT search fees it charges as an International Searching Authority will change to a single equivalent amount: SEK 21,210.

Three fees, one number

The new amount applies to three search-related fees, all SEK 21,210:

A magnifying glass over a trademark application linking a small shop icon to product icons, with a stamp bearing a question mark over the link — Brazil's INPI checking whether an applicant's business activity matches the claimed goods or services, issuing an office action if not
18 October 2026
Brazil, Trademark System

Brazil's INPI Widens Batch Checks on Trademark Applicant Legitimacy: Classes 1/2/7/13/19 and More Now Face Office Actions — Individuals, MEI and Inactive CNPJ Beware

Brazil's IP office, the INPI, announced on 16 October that it is widening the batch 'merit office actions' (exigências de mérito em lote) under its Trademark Examination Optimization Plan, adding new categories aimed at checking the applicant's legitimacy. In short: across more Nice classes, the INPI will issue office actions in bulk requiring applicants to show that the business activity they declared matches the goods or services claimed.

Which classes are newly covered

The expansion is organised into three situations; the exceptions for each class are set out in the INPI's annexed table:

Beside a gavel, a robotic hand marked with an AI chip hands a document towards a trademark symbol; one document bears a ticked stamp, a second with a question mark is crossed out in red — India's proposal to declare and verify AI-generated content in trade mark proceedings
18 October 2026
India, AI Governance, Trademark System

India Consults on Draft Guidelines for AI Use in Trade Mark Proceedings: Declare AI, Verify Case Law, Face Struck-Off Material and Discipline for Abuse (Not in Force)

India's IP authority, the CGPDTM (Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks), published on 17 October a draft set of Guidelines on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Proceedings before the Trade Marks Registry and opened them for public comment. The draft was prepared on the directions of the Delhi High Court in W.P.(C)-IPD 16/2026 (Stryten Energy LLC v. Nidhi Agarwal & Ors.) and is not yet in force.

Flat illustration: at a factory gate, a designer hands over a padlocked roll of drawings and shakes hands with the manager
18 October 2026
原创

Before You Send Drawings to a Chinese Factory: What to Register, What to Sign, NDA vs NNN

Many of the questions small brands post about Chinese manufacturing start too late: the factory is already selling the design. The cheapest protection comes earlier, before you send the first drawing. This guide covers what to register in China before you share anything, what an agreement with the factory should cover, why a standard NDA is not enough, and how to stage what you disclose. It is general information, not a contract template; Chinese law and the facts of your case decide what works, and the agreement itself should be drafted with a lawyer.