State Intellectual Property Office: Crack down on malicious preemptive registration of Olympic champions' names and trademarks

On February 14, 2022, the Beijing News Center held a special press conference to focus on the overall situation of comprehensively strengthening the protection of intellectual property rights in the Winter Olympics. At the meeting, Zhang Zhicheng, spokesman of the State Intellectual Property Office and director of the Department of Intellectual Property Protection, said that he would crack down on the infringement of Olympic intellectual property rights with a "zero tolerance" attitude.

Zhang Zhicheng said that the Regulations on the Protection of Olympic Symbols promulgated by the State Council in 2002 played an important role in the smooth hosting of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. In 2018, the Chinese government improved and revised the regulations to further include the relevant symbols of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in the scope of protection.

Up to now, the State Intellectual Property Office has issued public protection for 63 Olympic symbols, promoted the timely disclosure of licensee information, and protected 14 patent applications and 315 trademark applications submitted by the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee. The National Copyright Administration has opened a green channel for copyright registration and protection for the Winter Olympics, providing fast and convenient copyright services for Olympic-related copyright works.

"Ice piers like the current 'hard to find' pier are protected by both the Olympic symbol and at the same time patents, trademarks and copyrights." Zhang Zhicheng metaphorically said that the ice pier is wearing both a crystal clear "ice sugar shell" and a tight and invisible "intellectual property protection cover".

Zhang Zhicheng said that since entering the competition, the State Intellectual Property Office has strictly followed relevant laws and regulations, improved the rapid disposal mechanism for infringement clues, and strictly handled the Infringement of Olympic Intellectual Property Rights with a "zero tolerance" attitude; nationwide, it has focused on severely cracking down on infringement of the exclusive right to Olympic symbols, the use of Olympic elements to carry out commercial activities, malicious preemptive registration of the names and trademarks of public figures such as Olympic champions, and illegal dissemination of Winter Olympic programs.

"Strengthening the protection of intellectual property rights for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Winter Games is a microcosm of the Chinese government's comprehensive strengthening of intellectual property protection, and will become a valuable legacy of our Olympic intellectual property protection work, which is of far-reaching historical significance."