Based on the specific national conditions of China, when foreign brands entering into the Chinese market, without any exceptions, they all need to create, or be created a corresponding brand name in Chinese characters, in order to promote the brand there and let the general public there to know and remember the brand much easier.
For example, the Chinese brand name and trademark of "BMW" is "寶馬 (bao ma)", "寶" means "precious", and "馬" means "horse". This Chinese brand name presents the noble style of the BMW vehicles, and conforms to the cognition of Chinese consumers toward the perception of dignity.
Meanwhile, most of the brands in foreign language become a foil in the Chinese market, although most Chinese brand name of the foreign brands are created by transliteration. For example, the Chinese brand name of "COCA-COLA" is "可口可樂 (ke kou ke le)", and the Chinese brand name of "ADIDAS" is "愛迪達 (ai di da)"… However, many young people in China still not able to read the brands in the original foreign language accurately.
Thus, a Chinese brand name and trademark is very important in helping to improve the brand image and promote sales of products.
However, there are only about three thousand Chinese characters be commonly used in China. Minus those Chinese characters with derogatory meaning and/or not suitable for use as a trademark, the remaining Chinese characters will only about two thousands. The aforesaid, coupled with the limitations of Chinese characters in the structure to be used as trademarks, i.e. in case if a trademark name with more than four Chinese characters will become very cumbersome in Chinese culture, and not easy for read and to remember, as well as the phenomenon of trademark-squatting in China.
As of the early 2017, there are more than 7 million trademarks in Chinese characters have been successfully registered in China. With the increasing number of trademark applications for Chinese brand names in China, the chance of successful registration of new trademark in Chinese characters will be lower and lower in the foreseeable future.
Therefore, it is advisable to register the Chinese brand name as a trademark in China as earlier as possible, and obtain trademark pre-search prior to file the application for trademark registration, to confirm that the Chinese brand name of interest is likely be registered successfully, and to avoid wasting of extra time and money in registration and/or lawsuit thereafter. If pre-searches are conducted in advance, conflicting marks and obstacles should be revealed, and which may be avoided by amendment or modification of the Chinese brand name before file the application for trademark registration, and/or carry out other effective supporting programs as the meantime.
In case you require more information or require advice on the trademark, please feel free to vist our website www.bycpa.com, contact us via email: enquiries@bycpa.com, instant messenger (e.g. WhatsApp, Line, Wechat) via telephone number +852 6114 9414, and/or call our company directly.
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