Brand free riding to be sanctioned under unfair competition law

From August until the end of December this year, the administrations for industry and commerce (AICs) nationwide are required to wage a special campaign against a specific unfair competition act, free riding of famous brands, according to a circular released by the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) on September 1.

Under the circular, registering others' brand or trademark as trade name and using this trade name in market shall be sanctioned as an unfair competition act if such act misleads consumers and causes confusion.   Other IPR violations such as counterfeiting the unique names, packaging, decoration as well as trade secret misappropriation shall also be investigated. (by Gao Yingying)

“傍名牌”将依照反不正当竞争法认定处理

本报讯　9日1日，中国国家工商行政管理总局印发通知，要求各地工商机关开展打击“傍名牌”不正当竞争行为专项执法行动。该专项执法行动从8月开始，持续到12月，由国家工商行政管理总局部署，各地可根据实际情况，确定本地区重点查处的“傍名牌”案件。

该通知规定，将他人的知名字号或商标作为自己的字号申请登记企业名称，并以多种方式在市场上使用，制造市场误认、混淆的“傍名牌”案件,将按照不正当竞争来查处；对同时存在仿冒知名商品特有的名称、包装、装潢、侵犯商业秘密等其他侵犯知识产权的行为一并调查处理。（高迎迎）