WIPO Data Reveals China's Trademark Trends
The World Intellectual Property Organization ("WIPO") recently published its second edition of "World Intellectual Property Indicators", which provides data and analysis on the utilization of IP rights worldwide in 2008.
A section of the annual report is devoted to trademarks, covering, among other analysis, worldwide trend in trademark activity, trademark activities by class, by office and by origin, and trademarks in force. Data relating to trademark activities in China include trademarks filed with and registered at the Chinese Trademark Office, as well as trademark applications filed by Chinese entities and individuals globally (including China itself) and registrations in respect of those applications.
In terms of the number of trademark applications received by IP offices, the Chinese Patent Office tops the list in 2008. The following are the top ten IP offices with the number of applications they received during the year:
|
No. of Place
|
IP Offices
|
No. of Trademark Applications Received
|
|
1
|
China
|
669,088
|
|
2
|
US
|
294,070
|
|
3
|
Korea
|
137,461
|
|
4
|
India
|
130,172
|
|
5
|
Brazil
|
119,841
|
|
6
|
Japan
|
119,448
|
|
7
|
EU
|
87,640
|
|
8
|
Mexico
|
84,287
|
|
9
|
Germany
|
80,865
|
|
10
|
France
|
79,206
|
According to the data, China's trademark office received close to 700,000 trademark applications in 2008, 590,000 of which belong to resident applications, i.e. those made by domestic applicants, while 78,000 represent non-resident applications. These figures are in line with China's strong investment and growth momentum. On the other hand, overseas trademark applications by residents of China stand at 35,000, which were made principally in developed countries.
Regarding trademark applications from foreign countries in China and China's trademark applications abroad, relevant data show a general lag behind of China's trademark applications in the developed countries as compared with those countries' trademark applications in China, which are evidenced in the data below:
|
|
Trademark Applications
from Foreign Countries
in China
|
China's Trademark Applications in Foreign Countries
|
Balance
|
|
US
|
20,269
|
1,807
|
18,462
|
|
Japan
|
12,917
|
1,040
|
11,877
|
|
Germany
|
5,806
|
836
|
4,970
|
|
UK
|
3,809
|
Not available
|
|
|
France
|
3,740
|
836
|
2,904
|
|
Italy
|
3,411
|
772
|
2,639
|
|
Korea
|
3,255
|
1,277
|
1,978
|
|
Switzerland
|
2,505
|
386
|
2,119
|
|
Spain
|
1,502
|
Not available
|
|
|
Australia
|
1,453
|
948
|
505
|
|
Singapore
|
1,433
|
Not available
|
|
|
Canada
|
925
|
425
|
500
|
|
Russian Federation
|
695
|
1,094
|
-399
|
|
Turkey
|
372
|
651
|
-279
|
|
Mexico
|
369
|
389
|
-20
|
|
South Africa
|
291
|
Not available
|
|
|
Brazil
|
262
|
507
|
-245
|
|
Israel
|
160
|
144
|
16
|
|
Portugal
|
136
|
Not available
|
|
|
Others
|
15,253
|
Not available
|
|
