"120W" charger, "White Elephant Most Bags" instant noodles, "Qianhe 0+" soy sauce, "hand-made" noodles, "Three Minute Miracle" shampoo, "local" chicken, "local" pig...Have you ever been deceived into tears by these special trademarks full of scheming?
Now, the country takes action!
According to the State Intellectual Property Office, a special work plan has been formulated for trademarks that have been registered in accordance with regulations but are used in seriously misleading ways. To date, a total of 3,351 such trademarks have been declared invalid ex officio.
In fact,Since 2023, the State Intellectual Property Office has rejected 1.273 million "scheming trademark" applications that could easily mislead consumers.
On the homepage of the official website of the State Intellectual Property Office, a column for handling "scheming trademarks" has been specially opened to accept reports from the public, publish typical cases, and continuously update deceptive trademarks that have been declared invalid ex officio. Currently, 1,114 cases have taken effect.
Take "120W" for example. Since April 2024, multiple applicants have applied to register trademarks with the prominent part "120W" on portable chargers and other products. The Trademark Office has rejected them on the grounds that "the use of this mark on designated goods may easily cause the public to misunderstand the functions and other characteristics of the goods." The relevant trademarks have never been registered.
According to reports,The "Trademark Law (Draft Revision)" specifically adds legal provisions for "misleading use of registered trademarks".
This means that those who deceive consumers under the guise of trademarks in the future will face more severe penalties.
at the same time,In the "2026 Intellectual Property Administrative Protection Work Plan", the misleading behavior of using trademarks with product names and slogans is also specifically listed as a key target for rectification.
Rui Wenbiao, deputy director of the State Intellectual Property Office, said that the State Intellectual Property Office strictly controls the review and registration, strictly examines applications that are fraudulent in terms of quality, function, origin, etc., and resolutely rejects trademark applications that are likely to mislead consumers.
