Trademark Office of CNIPA Updates ‘Guidelines on Application for Cancellation of a Registered Trademark for Non-use in Three Consecutive Years Without Any Justifiable Reason’
Date: 26 May 2025
The key revisions to the Guidelines require applicants to state in their cancellation request, the circumstances that demonstrate non-use of the registered trademark for three consecutive years without justifiable reason. Applicants must also submit preliminary investigation evidence of such non-use, covering business information of the trademark registrant, market investigation findings, evidence obtained from online searches (e.g., official websites, e-commerce platforms) and field investigations.
Source: Trademark Office of CNIPA
https://sbj.cnipa.gov.cn/sbj/sbsq/sqzn/202303/t20230330_26201.html
国知局商标局更新《申请撤销无正当理由连续三年不使用注册商标》指南
日期：2025-05-26
此次对《指南》的修订重点为，要求申请人应在撤销理由中说明被申请商标无正当理由连续三年不使用的有关情况，并附送被申请商标三年不使用的初步调查证据，涵盖被申请商标注册人的经营信息、市场调查情况，以及从其官方网站、电商平台等渠道获取的网络查询、实地调查等证据材料。
资料来源：国知局商标局 2025-05-26
新闻链接：https://sbj.cnipa.gov.cn/sbj/sbsq/sqzn/202303/t20230330_26201.html
State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) Releases China Antitrust Enforcement Annual Report (2024)
Date: 6 June 2025
The Report indicates that in combating monopoly agreements and abuses of dominant market positions, market regulation authorities concluded 11 relevant cases in 2024, with penalties totaling RMB 119 million (approx. US$ 16.59 million); 643 cases concerning concentrations of undertakings, of which 623 were approved unconditionally; and 72 cases involving the investigation of abuses of administrative power to eliminate or restrict competition.
As part of the establishment and improvement of the anti-monopoly regulatory framework for intellectual property, the State Council Anti-Monopoly Commission and SAMR have, since 2024, formulated and issued documents including the Antitrust Guidelines for the Pharmaceutical Sector and Guidelines to Strengthen Regulations on Antitrust Behaviors Pertaining to SEP in key fields such as pharmaceuticals and SEPs, refining anti-monopoly rules for critical areas.
Regarding international exchange and cooperation, SAMR signed memoranda of cooperation with four countries, including Italy and Australia, and hosted significant international events, such as the China-EU High-Level Dialogue on Competition Policy and the 27th China-EU Competition Policy Week.
Source: SAMR
https://www.samr.gov.cn/xw/zj/art/2025/art_315962c04e0547e7866a51d500a865fd.html
市场监管总局发布《中国反垄断执法年度报告（2024）》
日期：2025-06-06
《报告》显示，在制止垄断协议和滥用市场支配地位方面，市场监管部门2024年办结相关案件 11 件，罚没金额 1.19 亿元；在经营者集中监管方面，全年审结经营者集中案件 643 件，无条件批准 623 件；在查处滥用行政权力排除、限制竞争方面，全年共立案查处相关案件 72件。
在建立健全知识产权领域反垄断制度规则体系方面，2024年来，国务院反垄断反不正当竞争委员会、市场监管总局在药品及标准必要专利等重点领域制定印发了《关于药品领域的反垄断指南》与《标准必要专利反垄断指引》等文件，细化了重点领域的反垄断规则。
国际交流与合作方面，市场监管总局与意大利、澳大利亚等 4 国签署合作备忘录，举办了中欧竞争政策高层对话、第 27届中欧竞争政策周等重要国际会议与活动。
资料来源：市场监管总局
新闻链接：https://www.samr.gov.cn/xw/zj/art/2025/art_315962c04e0547e7866a51d500a865fd.html
IQIYI Awarded RMB 30 Million Compensation in Action Against Short Video Platform Company for Infringement of Right of Communication through Information Network
Date: 6 June 2025
iQIYI (‘the Plaintiff’) holds the exclusive right of communication through information networks and other intellectual property rights in the TV series The Knockout. During the popular broadcast period of The Knockout, a short video app, operated by a short video company (‘the Defendant’) set up a topic tag for The Knockout. The tag was popular: as of 5 March 2023, users had uploaded approximately 453,000 videos with the tag and there had been a total of 11.6 billion views. The app’s ‘Trending’ and ‘Categories’ sections included a ‘General - Film & TV’ area that offered both live streams and replays of The Knockout. According to evidence submitted by the Plaintiff, the total number of views of these live streams and replays exceeded 400,000. The Plaintiff alleged that the Defendant’s conduct infringed its right of communication through information networks, and it subsequently filed a copyright infringement lawsuit with the Nantong Intermediate People’s Court seeking RMB 30 million (approx. US$ 4.18 million) compensation for economic loss and reasonable expenses.
The Nantong Intermediate People’s Court found that certain of the short videos uploaded to the Defendant’s app contained clips of specific plot segments from the drama series, including some that split and uploaded parts of the drama series. These constituted infringing content as they exceeded the scope of fair use. Without obtaining authorization from the Plaintiff, the Defendant had edited and organized videos relating to The Knockout on its platform, enabling the public to access the infringing content at a time and location of their choice, thereby infringing upon the Plaintiff’s right of communication through information networks.
The Court held that the Defendant, the operator of a leading short video platform in China, had allowed a large number of infringing videos to be disseminated even after it had received multiple complaints from the rights holder. This indicated that the measures taken by the Defendant failed to achieve the objective of removing videos from its platform that appeared to infringe the Plaintiff’s rights. The Court also found that the Defendant should have known about the users’ acts of copyright infringement via livestreams and that it had failed to take effective measures to stop them. It was thus liable for contributory infringement. Taking into account the popularity and commercial value of the involved work, the circumstances and scale of the Defendant’s infringement, the platform’s size and nature, and profits derived from the infringement, the Court concluded that the Defendant’s gains from the infringement exceeded the maximum for statutory damages. The Court of first instance fully supported the Plaintiff’s claim for RMB 30 million (approx. US$ 4.18 million). The Jiangsu High People’s Court upheld the original judgment on appeal.
Source: Nantong Intermediate People’s Court
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/y9--Og7IsnJfh4MgstPkWQ
爱奇艺诉某短视频平台公司侵犯信息网络传播权获赔3000万元
日期：2025-06-06
爱奇艺公司（以下简称“原告”）独家享有《狂飙》的信息网络传播权等知识产权。电视剧《狂飙》热播期间，某短视频公司（以下简称“被告”）运营的短视频 APP 设置了“狂飙”话题。截至2023年3月5日，该话题下作品达45.3万个，累计播放量116亿次。同时，该平台“热门”和“分类”栏目中设有“综合-影视”专区，含《狂飙》直播及回放选项，原告提交的证据显示总观看量超40万人次。原告认为被告的行为侵犯其信息网络传播权，遂向南通中院提起著作权侵权诉讼，请求法院判令被告赔偿经济损失及合理费用共计 3000 万元。
南通中院认为，部分涉案短视频为对剧中具体情节的剪辑，甚至将完整剧集分割上传，超出合理使用范畴，系侵权视频。被告未取得原告许可，对其平台上涉及《狂飙》的视频进行了编辑、整理，使公众可在其选定时间和地点获取侵权视频，构成对原告信息网络传播权的侵害。
法院认为，被告作为国内头部短视频平台，在权利人多次投诉后仍有大量侵权视频传播，说明所采取措施并未实现平台上无明显涉嫌侵权视频的客观效果，认定被告对用户利用直播间侵害原告著作权的行为构成应知，未采取有效措施予以制止，具有主观过错，构成帮助侵权。法院综合考量了涉案作品知名度及商业价值、被告侵权情节及侵权规模、平台规模、性质及获益等因素，因侵权所获收益超过法定赔偿最高限额，法院一审全额支持了原告 3000 万元的诉请金额，江苏高院二审维持原判。
资料来源：南通市中级人民法院 2025-06-06
新闻链接：https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/y9--Og7IsnJfh4MgstPkWQ
Infringement of Copyright in Architectural Work - Henan High People’s Court Renders First Judgment Ordering Demolition of Infringing Building
Date: 23 June 2025
The Aranya Church, located in the Aranya Community of Beidaihe New District in Qinhuangdao, has become one of China’s most influential architectural and cultural landmarks in recent years. A building subsequently built in a commercial area of Xinxiang City, Henan Province, was almost a 1:1 replica of the Anaya Church. After the Aranya Company ('Plaintiff’) sent a letter to Jingkaili Company ('Defendant’) requesting demolition of the allegedly infringing building to no avail, it commenced legal proceedings for infringement of copyright.
The court of first instance ruled that the Defendant should modify the infringing building within a reasonable period of time. The Plaintiff appealed to the Intermediate People's Court of Xinxiang City, Henan Province, on the grounds that modification was an insufficient remedy; the damages awarded were insufficient; and the Defendant should be required to issue an apology statement.
The Plaintiff succeeded on appeal, and the Court ordered demolition of the infringing building. The Defendant was dissatisfied with this decision and applied for a retrial. During the retrial, the Henan High People’s Court noted that although the Defendant had begun modification of the building after the first-instance judgment, it had neither communicated nor negotiated with the Plaintiff regarding the modification plan, which was not approved by the Plaintiff. Both the already modified parts and the design renderings submitted during the retrial merely made only minor adjustments and did not alter the main structural features of the building. The total construction cost of the infringing building was around RMB 60,000 (approx. US$ 8,364.70) and that RMB 20,000 (approx. US$ 2,788.20) had already been spent on the modification. Considering the feasibility and cost of modification, as well as the protection of the Plaintiff's legitimate rights, the Henan High People’s Court upheld the second-instance judgment ordering demolition of the infringing building.
Source: China Intellectual Property Lawyers Network
https://www.ciplawyer.cn/articles/156934.html
河南高院作出全国首例建筑作品著作权侵权限期拆除判决
日期：2025-06-23
阿那亚礼堂位于秦皇岛北戴河新区的阿那亚社区内，是中国近年来极具影响力的建筑与文化地标之一。河南省新乡市某商业区的被诉侵权建筑则几乎一比一复刻了阿那亚礼堂，在阿那亚公司（以下简称“原告”）向经开里公司（以下简称“被告”）发函要求拆除被诉侵权建筑无果后，遂向法院提起诉讼。
本案一审法院判决被告在合理期限内修正被诉侵权建筑，原告向河南省新乡市中级人民法院提起上诉，理由是修正不足以补救；一审法院判定的损害赔偿金不足；被告应当发表致歉声明。
二审中原告胜诉，二审法院改判拆除被诉侵权建筑。被告不服，申请再审。再审中河南高院指出，一审判决作出后，被告虽然已经开始改建工作，但并未与阿那亚公司沟通、协商，改建方案未经阿那亚公司认可，无论是已经改建的部分，还是再审期间提供的设计效果图，均仅进行了细节调整，并未对建筑主体结构进行改建。同时，侵权建筑物整体建造成本在6万元左右，改建至今已经花费2万元，综合考虑到改建的可行性、成本及对原告合法权利的保护，河南高院维持了二审法院判令拆除被诉侵权建筑的判决。
资料来源：知识产权律师网 2025-06-23