说起创业，你想到的第一件事是什么呢？组建团队？注册公司？打造商业模式？
When it comes to starting a business, what is the first thing that pops into your mind? Form a professional team? Register a company? Design a business model?
当然，这些都是创业必做之事。但不少创业者却忽略了最重要的一环——注册商标。
Of course, these are all must-dos for starting a business. But the most important part has always been overlooked by entrepreneurs - trademark.
现在创业项目还没足够成熟，没必要进行商标注册吧？
Now that the entrepreneurial project is not mature enough, is it really necessary to do trademark registration?
等有了投资，有了市场份额，商标品牌这些事再做不迟。
It won’t be too late to think about trademark and brand when there is investment and market share.
这些想法很有可能会令你的公司在未来轻易失去自己的市场地位与客户，为他人做嫁衣。
Thinking like that might be likely to make your company easily lose its market position and customers in the future.
茶颜悦色随着其知名度及市场影响力的提升，不仅在国内被多家企业抢注，还在2019年年初被他人申请为韩国商标，且称是为茶颜悦色开拓海外市场铺路。对于这些行为，茶颜悦色官方也只能无奈回应“对方此行为合法，我们无权干涉”。
Sexy Tea, has not only been squatted by many companies in China, but also applied as a Korean trademark by others in early 2019, which is said to be paving the way for Sexy Tea to open up overseas markets. Helpless, the Sexy Tea can do nothing but keep silent, for its failure in trademark protection.
联想进军海外时，也发现“Legend” 商标在海外被许多公司已经抢先注册。若想通过协商、诉讼等方式拿回商标，则成本太大。最后联想无奈之下只好启用新商标“Lenovo”。
When Lenovo was expanding overseas, it found that the "Legend" trademark had been preemptively registered by some companies overseas. The cost of getting the trademark back through negotiation and litigation is too high. Therefore, in the end, Lenovo had no choice but to use the new trademark "Lenovo".
诸如此类，不计其数。如何避免这种哑巴亏？很简单，市场未动，商标先行。
Things above happen often. Any solution? Yes, trademark goes first!
企业的商标需尽可能地在商品或服务未入市前进行战略性布局，同时也需做好保密工作，一旦带有企业商业标识的商品或服务进入市场，将面临被他人抢注的风险，对于企业来讲，前期辛苦打下的市场影响力则可能是为他人做嫁衣。企业不得不从抢注者处高价买受或者启动漫长的商标行政程序进行争取。
The trademark should be strategically deployed as far as possible before the goods or services enter the market. At the same time, be confidential. Once the goods or services with the company's commercial logo enter the market, they will face the risk of being squatted by others. The market influence that has been hard-earned in the early stage may be stolen. Sometimes, enterprises might have to buy the trademark back or file endless lawsuits, money-costing and time-consuming.
目前我国的商标分类，一共有45个类别，主要分为商品和服务类别。1-34类是商品分类，35-45是服务分类，共包含一万多个商品和服务项目。
At present, trademark classification in China, a total of 45 categories, mainly divided into categories of commodities and services. Categories 1-34 are commodities, and 35-45 are services, including more than 10,000 commodities and service items.
在申请商标注册时，建议选择多个类别注册，即除了与经营的业务和产品息息相关的核心类别之外，申请人往往还需要注册一些其他相关类别的商标。
It is recommended to register trademark in multiple categories, that is, apart from the core categories closely related to the business and products, the trademark often needs to be registered in some other categories.
多类别注册商标，也是很多企业会采取的防御性注册策略，为的是避免他人申请注册相关类别，侵犯或模仿诋毁自己的品牌。例如大家熟知的华为、小米等大型企业注册的商标基本都是45类全类别保护的。
Such registrations are considered as a defensive strategy adopted by many companies, in order to prevent others from applying for registration of related categories, infringing or imitating their own brands. For example, the trademarks registered by large companies such as well-known Huawei and Xiaomi are basically protected in all 45 categories.
无印良品，始创于1980年的日本杂货品牌，隶属于株式会社良品计画公司。该公司于1999年11月至12月在中国大陆申请“无印良品”系列商标，涉及第3、16、20、21、25、26、35、41类别，并未在第24类“棉织品；毛巾”等商品上申请注册。
Muji, a Japanese grocery brand founded in 1980, is affiliated to Ryohin Keikaku Co.,Ltd. The company applied for a series of trademarks "MUJI" in mainland CN from November to December 1999, in categories 3, 16, 20, 21, 25, 26, 35, and 41, but not in category 24 "cotton fabrics, towels".
2000年4月，海南南华实业贸易公司在第24类上成功注册“无印良品”商标，并于同一年将该商标转让给北京棉田纺织品有限公司。
In April 2000, Hainan Nanhua Industrial Trading Company successfully registered the trademark "MUJI" in the category 24, and transferred the trademark to Beijing Cotton Field Textile Co., Ltd. in the same year.
此后，中外两家无印良品开启了一场无硝烟的商标之战。
Since then, the Chinese and the Japanese MUJI have started a trademark battle.
最终良品计画公司“无印良品”商标也没能取得在24类上“棉织品；毛巾”等商品上的核准注册。同时，因涉嫌侵犯北京棉田纺织品有限公司“无印良品”商标专用权被判赔50万及合理支出12.6万元。
It ended with the result that the Japanese company failed to obtain the registration of “MUJI” in the category 24. At the same time, it was ordered to pay 500,000 yuan and reasonable expenses of 126,000 yuan for allegedly infringing the exclusive right to use the "MUJI" trademark in category 24 of Beijing Miantian Textile Co., Ltd.
One late move makes every move hard.
注册商标不仅可以创立自身品牌，抢先占领市场，还能有效保护企业或品牌形象免于受损，免于遭受经济损失。
A registered trademark can not only help the company create an exclusive brand and occupy the market first, but also effectively protect the company or brand image from damage and losses.
If you need trademark protection, we can be a help hand for you, please feel free to contact us~
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