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Lessons for International Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises from Counterfeiting Civil Litigations in China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 August 2022

Chuanzi Cai*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Law, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China

Abstract

This study aims to assess the effect of the 2013 trademark law revision (2013 law revision) on judicial remedies in China. The 2013 law revision increased the remedies Chinese courts can grant to plaintiffs, including small and medium enterprise (SME) plaintiffs, thus leading to higher remedies granted to plaintiffs compared to the past years in prevailing cases. This study finds that right after the law revision, the average amount of judicial remedies granted to plaintiffs increased temporarily. Meanwhile, the detailed judicial reasonings, foreign plaintiffs, and company defendants have stronger positive effects than product types and the year of decisions on the amount of monetary relief. These findings suggest that certain factors in cases may increase the remedies in trademark civil litigation. Therefore, SME plaintiffs should pay attention to core factors for litigation strategies, including preliminary injunctions, choice of defendant, choice of venue, and evidence in remedy collection.

Type
Original Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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