J&C Intellectual Property · Knowledge Base

Practice Q&A

Practical answers to the IP problems foreign brands run into in China: a distributor registers your trademark, counterfeits return after every takedown, customs holds a shipment, a factory sells your design. Each article sets out the options and what to do first.

Practice Q&A

Your Chinese Distributor Registered Your Trademark: Article 15 and How to Get It Back

Protecting a Beauty Brand Against Counterfeits in China: Trademarks, NMPA Filings and Authorised Sellers

AI-Generated Product Images in China: Copyright, Ownership and Infringement Risk

Geographical Indications in China: Certification Marks or GI Products?

Someone Patented Your Invention in China: Ownership Action, Inventorship or Invalidation?

Assigning Trademarks Across Countries: Madrid Recordals, National Filings and China's Rules

Design Patents in China: Partial Designs, GUIs, Similar Designs and the Six-Month Grace Period

Suing for Patent Infringement in China? Expect an Invalidation Request: Stays, Timing and Outcomes

Stock Image Licences in China: What Records to Keep Before You Use Licensed Photos

Your Sub-Brands Need Their Own Chinese Trademarks: Lessons from the Denza Dispute

Stopping Counterfeits at Both Ends: EU Customs Applications and China Customs Recordal

I Have a US Patent. Do I Also Need a Chinese Patent?

Can Colours and Stripes Be a Trademark in China? Colour Combination Marks and the Evidence They Need

Counterfeits Keep Coming Back After Takedowns: How to Trace the Source in China

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

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

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

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

Your Chinese Factory Is Selling Your Design Before Your First Order Arrives: What to Do

“Someone Is Registering Your Brand in China”: How to Check a Warning Email Before You Act

Section 337 Investigations: What Foreign Brands With Chinese Suppliers Should Know

Signs You Cannot Use as a Trademark in China: Flags, Country Names and Official Emblems

Using Someone Else's Trademark Fairly in China: Descriptive and Nominative Use

Company Names vs Trademarks in China: When a Local Company Uses Your Brand as Its Trade Name

When a Bigger Company Uses Your Brand Name in China: Prior Use and Reverse Confusion

Sound Marks in China and AI Voice Cloning: What Brand Owners Can Protect

Taking Down Counterfeits on Chinese and Cross-Border Marketplaces: What Brand Owners Need

How Madrid Trademark Fees Are Calculated: China and Saudi Arabia Examples (2026)

Well-Known Marks in China: How Recognition Works and When to Use It

China's Revised Trademark Law (2027): Unused Marks Can Be Cancelled Ex Officio

Trademark Assignment in China: How to Buy or Transfer a Mark

Licensing a Trademark in China: Exclusive, Sole and Non-Exclusive Licences

China Customs IP Recordal: A Guide for Foreign Rights Holders

Trademark Squatting in China: Opposition, Invalidation and Non-Use Cancellation

Choosing a Chinese Brand Name: Transliteration, Translation and Squatting Risk

Trademark Licence Recordal in China: What an Unrecorded Licence Costs You

Before You File in China: What a Trademark Clearance Search Covers and What It Misses

Keeping a China Trademark Alive: Renewal, Changes, Assignment and Licence Recordal

Trademark Registration Abroad: Country-by-Country Quick Guide (2026)

Nice Classes Explained: The Six Classes Trademark Applicants Get Wrong in China

What to Do When Your China Trademark Application Is Refused: Review, Division or Refiling

Eight Things Foreign Companies Must Know Before Filing a Trademark in China

Madrid Designation or Direct National Filing: Which One Fits Your Case

Taking a Brand Abroad: Three Routes to International Trademark Registration and What They Cost (2026)

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