新规速递：关于商标违法使用行为的最新规定

在中国，商品/服务商标的注册和使用均受到国家知识产权局（“国知局”）的监管和规范。国知局发布的《商标一般违法判断标准》(“标准”)，已于2022年1月生效。最近，国知局又发布了官方的解释以为实施这些新规则提供指导。

In China, registration and use of a trade/service mark are subject to administration and regulation by the China National Intellectual Property Administration (“CNIPA”). The CNIPA issued Standards for Assessing General Illegal Trademark Acts (the “Administrative Rules”), which came into force in January 2022. Recently, the CNIPA released its official interpretations and explanations to provide guidance on implementation of these new rules. 

标准第4条要求烟草产品（例如卷烟、雪茄烟、有包装的烟丝以及电子烟等新型烟草制品）必须使用注册商标。销售带有未注册商标的烟草制品是被禁止并会受到行政处罚。这一强制性要求适用于所有进口的烟草产品。

Article 4 of the Administrative Rules provides that trade marks used on tobacco products (e.g. cigarettes, cigars, packed tobacco, and electronic cigarettes) must be registered with the CNIPA. Sale of tobacco products bearing unregistered marks is prohibited and is subject to penalties. This mandatary requirement applies to all imported tobacco products.

简评：未注册商标在大多数商品上一般都是允许使用的。但是，在烟草产品上使用未注册商标现在已经明确予以禁止。

Comments: Use of unregistered marks is generally permitted on most of products. However, use of an unregistered mark on tobacco products is now expressly prohibited.

依据2006年颁布的《药品说明书和标签管理规定》以及2017年颁布的《农药标签和说明书管理办法》，用于人用药和农药的商标也须是注册商标，但是违反这些行业规定并不会被中国知识产权管理部门处罚。

Under the Administrative Regulations on Instructions and Product Labels of Pharmaceuticals of 2006 and the Administrative Measures on Product Labels of Farm Chemical and Instructions of 2017, trade marks for human drugs and farm chemicals are also required to be registered, but non-compliance with these industry regulations is not be subject to penalties from Chinese IP authority.

标准第14条规定使用具有多种含义的未注册商标的，其中某一含义易使公众认为其属于下列《商标法》第十条第一款第六项至八项规定情形的，可以认定为违法行为：

Article 14 of the Administrative Rules provides that where an unregistered trade mark with multiple meanings is used, it may be considered as violation of the law if one of the possible meanings conveyed by the mark is:

1. 带有民族歧视性的；

   ethnically discriminatory; and/or

   
   

2. 带有欺骗性，容易使公众对商品的质量等特点或者产地产生误认的；

   deceptive and likely to give rise to confusion as to the quality or other characteristics of the goods or place of origin; and/or

3. 有害于社会主义道德风尚或者有其他不良影响的。

   detrimental to socialist morals and customs, or having other negative social influence;

简评：判定一枚商标在中国的政治/文化环境下是否具有种族歧视性/欺骗性/不良影响，特别是当其具有多种含义时，对于国知局审查员来说是一项非常主观的实践，且判定的标准甚为模糊。为了避免合规的风险，建议在中国注册/使用商标前事先咨询当地商标顾问。

Comments: The assessment of whether a mark is discriminative/deceptive/offensive in the context of Chinese political/cultural environment, particularly when it has multiple meanings, is a subjective exercise for CNIPA examiners and the criteria for the assessment remains rather opaque. To avoid non-compliance risk, consultation with local trade mark counsel before registration/use in China is recommended.

标准第15条规定国家知识产权局认定商标注册申请违反《商标法》第十条规定而予以驳回的，商标申请人或者他人继续使用该商标的，由负责商标执法的部门依法查处。

Article 15 of the Administrative Rules states that where a trade mark application has been refused registration by CNIPA under Article 10 (see below) of the Trade Mark Law and the applicant insists on using the mark after the relevant decision, the relevant trade mark enforcement authority shall investigate and address such violation.

简评：《商标法》第十条对禁止作为商品/服务商标使用的标识规定了一个较宽泛的范围，其中包括被认为具有“欺骗性”的标识。外国权利人对本国已经注册的商标在中国被视为具有“欺骗性”经常感到困扰和苦恼，甚至有时候认为似乎是不合理的。一些申请人于是在遭遇驳回之后，坚持使用其商标。然而，这种使用将可能会遭致当地商标执法部门的调查和处罚。

Comments: Article 10 identifies a wide range of signs that are prohibited from use as trade/service marks in China, including marks deemed to be “deceptive”. Foreign rights holders are often frustrated that marks registered in their home country are deemed “deceptive” in China, sometimes seemingly unreasonably.  Some applicants persist with use despite such refusal. However, thus use could attract investigation and penalties from the local trade mark enforcement authority.

《商标法》第49条要求自行改变注册商标的行为，应由商标执法部门予以处罚。

Article 49 of the China Trade Mark Law provides that any alteration to a registered trademark without approval shall be subject to penalties from the trade mark enforcement authorities.

标准第18条进一步阐明自行改变注册商标，是指商标注册人擅自对注册商标的文字、图形、字母、数字、三维标志、颜色组合、声音等构成要素作局部改动或者变换相对位置。如自行改变影响了对该注册商标的认知或者识别，而改变后的商标在实际使用中仍标明“注册商标”或者注册标记的，则使用该改变后的商标会被国知局视为违法行为。

Article 18 of the Administrative Rules clarifies that alteration to a registered mark means partial alteration to or adjustment of positioning between the constituent elements of the mark, including the characters, devices, letters, numbers, three-dimensional signs, combination of colours, and sound. If the alteration affects recognition or identification of the mark and the altered mark still carries the registration symbol ® in actual use, use of the altered mark is deemed illegal by the CNIPA.

简评：中国注册商标的所有人需对构成注册商标的元素进行非实质性的改变或调整保持警惕，因为改动后的商标会被视为一个新的未注册商标。在该改动版本上使用注册标记是不允许的。应当办理新注册。

Comments: The owner of a Chinese registered mark needs to be cautious when making even non-substantive adjustments/changes to the elements comprising its registered mark because the changed mark may be deemed a new unregistered mark. So use of registration symbol on the altered form is not permitted.  A new registration should be sought.

标准第23条释明以下任何一项行为均会被视为将未注册商标冒充为注册商标的行为：

Article 23 of the Administrative Rules provides that any of the following acts will be deemed as passing off an unregistered mark as a registered mark:

1. 使用未向国家知识产权局提出注册申请的商标且标明“注册商标”或者标注注册标记的；

   
   

   use of a trade mark with a registration symbol ® where no application has been filed with the CNIPA;

   
   

2. 使用向国家知识产权局提出注册申请但被驳回或者尚未核准注册的商标且标明“注册商标”或者标注注册标记的；

   use of a trade mark with a registration symbol ® where the application had been filed but was rejected;

   
   

3. 注册商标被撤销、被宣告无效、因期满未续展被注销或者申请注销被核准后，继续标明“注册商标”或者标注注册标记的，但在注册商标失效前已进入流通领域的商品除外；

   
   

   use of a cancelled, invalidated, expired or deregistered trade mark with a registration symbol ®, except where the trademarked products have already been distributed before the registered trade mark becomes invalid;

   
   

4. 超出注册商标核定使用的商品或者服务而使用该商标且标明“注册商标”或者标注注册标记的；

   use of a registered trade mark with the registration symbol ® in relation to goods/services beyond the scope of the registration;

   
   

5. 改变注册商标的显著特征后仍标明“注册商标”或者标注注册标记的；

   use of a registration symbol ® where the identifying feature(s) of the registered trademark has/have been altered;

   
   

6. 组合使用两件以上注册商标且标注注册标记，但未按照注册商标逐一标注注册标记的；

   use of more than two registered trademarks in a combined form with registration symbol ® without attaching the symbol separately to each mark;

   
   

7. 标明“注册商标”或者标注注册标记的进口商品，该商标未在中国注册且未声明的。

   
   

   use of the registration symbol ® on a foreign registered mark on imported products where the mark remains unregistered in China.

简评：就商标使用是否属于上述情形强烈建议咨询当地商标顾问的意见。

Comments: Consultation with local trade mark counsel is strongly recommended.

在中国，一枚商标被核准注册意味着商标在本地市场的使用获得了官方背书。使用注册商标的风险远远低于使用未注册商标的风险。然而，鉴于当地商标审查系统的不透明以及不一致性，外国权利人在中国获得商标注册正日益变得困难。于是，除了将未注册商标投入使用、或者将现有注册商标进行轻微改动后进行使用之外，经常是无法找到其他可行的替代方案。尽管这些决定背后存在充分有力的商业迫切性的考量，却隐含了一定程度的风险。因此商标所有人应谨慎行事，并在存有疑虑时，寻求当地专家的意见。

In China, registration of a trade mark implies official endorsement of use of the mark in the local market.  Use of a registered mark raises far fewer risks than use of an unregistered mark.  However, it can be increasingly difficult task for foreign rights holders to achieve registration given the opaqueness and inconsistency of the local examination system.  So, often there is no viable alternative to using a mark in an unregistered capacity or using an existing registered mark with slight alterations. While there may be compelling commercial imperatives behind these decisions, they do involve some level of risk and trade mark owners are advised to proceed with caution and seek local expert advice where there is any doubt.