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On 2 January 2018, the Standardization Administration of China (“SAC”) released the final draft of “Information Technology – Personal Information Security Specification” (National Standard GB/T 35273-2017) (GB/T 35273-2017 信息安全技 术个人信息安全规范) (“Specification”). The Specification came into effect on 1 May 2018. The Specification sets out the recommended practices on personal information protection. Although the Specification is not legally binding, compliance is expected by the PRC authorities and may be taken into account when assessing a company’s compliance with related laws (e.g. China’s Cybersecurity Law). …
Continue Reading Safe As Houses – The PRC Issues Revised Draft of the Personal Information Security Specification

The revised Trade Mark Law was enacted in 2014 to much fanfare, as it included important new provisions targeting bad faith applications by trade mark hijackers, a recurring problem that has plagued brand owners in China. Unfortunately, in the 5 years since the enactment, the new provisions have done little to reduce trade mark hijacking activity and the onus has remained with brand owners to oppose or invalidate hijacked marks.
Continue Reading New Measures to Target Bad Faith Trade Mark Applications in China

On 1 November 2018, Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (“SFC”) issued a statement and circular that expanded its regulatory reach over virtual asset activities. Previously, the SFC’s position was that any activities related to virtual assets (e.g. cryptocurrencies, assetbacked tokens, virtual commodities, etc.) would only be subject to the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571) if…
Continue Reading Hong Kong: Tightening the Reins on Cryptocurrency

The European Union (“EU”) General Data Protection Regulation 2016 (“GDPR”) entered into effect on 25 May 2018. A brief summary of the GDPR can be found in our Legal Update.

Organisations in Hong Kong may need to comply with the GDPR if it (1) has an establishment in the EU, where personal data is processed in the context of the activities of the establishment, regardless …
Continue Reading Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data Issues Booklet on how Hong Kong Businesses Should Prepare for GDPR

The 13th People’s National Congress (“NPC”) recently approved the State Council’s proposal to restructure China’s State Intellectual Property Office (“SIPO”). The proposal intends to consolidate the administration of trademarks and patents and to streamline the enforcement of IPR in China.
Continue Reading China Unveils Plan to Restructure State Intellectual Property Office

On 1 May 2018, the “Information Security Technology – Personal Information Security Specification” (PI-Specification) by China’s National Information Security Standardization Technical Committee (NISSTC) will come into effect. The PI-Specification, inter alia, provides guidance on the collection, storage, use, transfer and disclosure of personal information. While the PI Specification is voluntary and not legally binding, it is likely that Chinese regulators will take into account breaches of the PI Specification when enforcing cybersecurity obligations.

The requirements for the collection, use, and storage of personal information are briefly outlined below.
Continue Reading China Issues New Standards on Personal Information Security

On 24 April 2017, the Beijing Intellectual Property Court (“ the Court”) published 18 classic cases concerning trademarks filed in bad faith. One of these cases dealt with a invalidation action filed by Tiffany and company (“Tiffany”), the luxury jeweler.

Tiffany prevailed in the invalidation action brought in 2013 against Chinese trademark registration no. 8009772 for “蒂 凡尼” (pronounced as “Di Fan Ni” in Mandarin) on wallpaper, carpets etc. in Class 27 in the name of Shanghai Zhendi Decoration Materials Co., Ltd. (“Shanghai Zhendi”). After the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board (“TRAB”) rejected the registration, Shanghai Zhendi appealed to the Beijing IP Court.
Continue Reading Beijing IP Court Rules in Favour of Tiffany Against “Diffany”

Michael Jordan, the legendary NBA star, has finally established his rights in his Chinese name after 5 years of intensive administrative and appeal proceedings in China.
In China, Michael Jordan is more commonly known and addressed by the Chinese name “乔丹” (pronounced as “Qiao Dan” in Mandarin) which resembles the pronunciation of his last name “Jordan”. The present case is another typical example of a foreign brand owner’s name being hijacked by a local Chinese entity. The hijacker used both “乔丹” and “QIAODAN” as trademarks on shirts, sport shoes and apparel manufactured and sold in China since 2000. Michael Jordan had a long and hard fight to get his name back. He is now half way through recovering his Chinese name “乔丹” trademark, whilst the transliteration of his Chinese name “QIAODAN” is still in the hands of third parties.
Continue Reading Michael Jordan: “Qiao Dan” is Me! Michael Jordan’s trademark fight in China over his Name Rights

On 7 November 2016, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress has formally passed China’s first comprehensive privacy and security regulation for cyberspace. Since the new Cyber Security Law (CSL) will come into effect on 1 June 2017, technology companies that are operating in or planning to expand to the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) are well advised to adapt their IT infrastructure and data architecture to the new law. Violations of the law may, at worst, lead to high fines, website shutdowns or license revocations. Some of the most significant changes brought about by the new law are briefly outlined below.
Continue Reading China Adopts New Law on Cybersecurity

busy Street scene with neon signs in Hong KongIntellectual Property (“IP”) rights are only as strong as the means to enforce them. Arbitration, as a private and confidential procedure, is increasingly being used to resolve disputes involving IP rights, especially when the dispute is between parties located in different jurisdictions. With the introduction of the Arbitration (Amendment) Bill 2016 (“Bill”), the Hong Kong…