Trademark News

U.S. And China Trademark Offices Collaborate On Joint Program

Washington -- A joint program intended to clarify different practices used in protection of "geographical indications" -- marks that identify goods as having a particular quality or reputation linked to the region where they were produced -- has been completed by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the China Trademark Office (CTMO).

The week long program was presented in Beijing and in the coastal city of Xiamen in China's southeastern Fujian province, according to a June 2 news release from USPTO.

The term "geographical indication" comes from the World Trade Organization's 1995 Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, or TRIPS.  The TRIPS agreement sets minimum international standards for such marks, which are defined as "indications which identify a good as originating in the territory of a WTO member, or a region or locality in that territory, where a given quality, reputation or other characteristic of the good is essentially attributable to its geographic origin."

USPTO does not have a special system for registering geographical indications in the United States.
Read more at usinfo.state.gov

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	If Not Registered Someone May Trademark What You Have Begun Using In Commerce. Someone can apply to register a trademark that you had not registered and are using particularly if they are not aware of your use. You may contest the registration of that mark after it publishes for purposes of opposition.