Trademark center opens in Huangpu

The city’s first trademark guidance office opened in downtown Huangpu District yesterday to help established local brands expand into the global market.

Over 10 well-known local brands, such as Laofengxiang Jewelry, wool producer Hengyuanxiang and state-owned hotel operator Jinjiang Group, have applied at the Trademark Innovative Development Guidance Center to register their trademarks worldwide.

Laofengxiang Jewelry has applied to register its trademark and brand in 10 countries across Asia and Europe as it prepares to expand into these regions, said Cai Xujiao, deputy director of Laofengxiang Co’s law department.

Counterfeits of the company’s stores have appeared overseas with similar trademarks, said Cai. Registering a trademark and brand abroad can help prevent such infringements, she added.

The company has already opened 11 stores in the US, Canada and Australia. It previously used the abbreviation LFX at its overseas branches, but will use its Chinese trademark after the company’s application is approved, according to Cai.

Jinjiang Group, China’s leading hotel and travel operator, also has overseas expansion plans.

The group has already registered over 500 trademarks under the Madrid International Trademark Registration, the primary international system for the registration of trademarks, said Liu Yanchao, who works with the group’s legal department.

Before the opening of the new center on Julu Road, companies had to apply to the State Administration for Industry & Commerce in Beijing before entering the Madrid system.

Companies in other districts and locations outside Shanghai can also apply at the Huangpu center to get registered, said Zhang Shaohui, deputy director with the district’s market supervision and management bureau.

The guidance center is also offering consultancy, branding guidance and intellectual property rights protection to support the development of new brands while helping time-honored to expand overseas, Zhang said.