On July 20, 2018, China Trademark Association (CTA), Internet Intellectual Property Institute (IIPI), and Internet DotTrademark Organisation Limited (IDTO) jointly delivered a training conference under the theme "Managing Brands, Trademarks, and Domain Names in the Era of the Internet” at Pudong Shangri-La, East Shanghai. It attracted nearly 300 in-house counsel, senior executives, and intellectual property lawyers, with strong support from leading professional bodies, including International Trademark Association (INTA), the Asian Domain Name Dispute Resolution Center (ADNDRC), the Hong Kong International Arbitration Center (HKIAC), the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC), the  Asia International Arbitration Center (AIAC), the Pudong New Area Intellectual Property Association, and the Legal Executive Board(LEB). 

Four keynote speakers, namely Mr. Zhang Yuning (Director of the Office of the CTA), Mr. Seth Hays (Chief Representative of INTA), Mr. Huang Dianying, Vice President and Secretary General of the Shanghai Pudong New Area, and Prof. Christopher To (Co-Chair of the Internet DotTrademark Policy Committee) kicked start the seminar by delivering enthusiastic and insightful opening remarks and keynote speeches.

The seminar is hosted by Dennis CAI, President of Policy and Compliance of IDTO 

With the rapid development of China's Internet economy, how to protect, use, and promote brands on the Internet have become priority issues of global brand owners. The number of trademark applications and domain name registrations in China has proliferated. Trademark,  a symbol that distinguishes goods and services, plays an essential role in sustainable and stable economic development, while domain name serves as a navigation tool for the Internet. Many companies register their brand names as domain names and use the domain name as their brands and logos. However, due to the significant differences in domain names and trademarks management systems, procedural rules, registration process and functions, the conflicts and disputes between trademarks and domain names have increased prominently.

The conference enabled brand managers, in-house counsel, and IP lawyers to understand the latest development and trends on global management of brands, trademarks and domain names, and theories and practices in domain name dispute resolution. Key topics of this training seminar include:

•     How to denote trademark rights more clearly on the Internet?

  
  

•     How can the traditional trademarks be used in digital branding?

  
  

•     How can territorial-based trademark protection systems be effectively extended and expanded on a globally connected network?

  
  

•     Can domain name system be more conducive to trademark protection, thereby reducing the conflict between trademarks and domain names?

•     How brand owners manage trademarks and domain names effectively in the development of new economy?

  
  

•     How to deal with disputes between trademarks and domain names quickly and effectively?

      

The former Director of Intellectual Property Department of Hong Kong SAR and Co-Chairman of Internet DotTrademark Policy Committee, Mr. Peter Cheung SBS elaborated on the innovative ideas and policies of Internet DotTrademarks at the seminar. He introduced that ".商标” （DotTrademark） is not only a gTLD but also a symbol for trademark rights on the Internet. DotTrademark requires pre-registration trademark rights verification, ensuring that it can only be registered and used by legitimate parties. Its rigorous and internationally applicable rules and policies eliminate cybersquatting and facilitate worldwide trademark owners to digitize their brands on the Internet. 

As a global association of trademark owners and professionals, INTA has been promoting the integration of trademark brands with the Internet and new media in recent years. Mr. Peter J. Dernbach, a member of the INTA Internet Committee, introduced INTA's efforts on anti-counterfeiting and new developments in trademark protection on the Internet.

Mr. Zhou Liguo, Director of Intellectual Property Department of Tencent Group, shared his strategies and practices on tackling trademark cybersquatting and domain name cybersquatting worldwide. It provides practical guidance for brand companies.

Domain name dispute resolution under various policies remains as a cost-effective means of tacking infringement of trademark rights online.  Mr. Chi Shaojie (a Panelist of ADNDRC),  Mr. Sebastian Huges (Panelist of WIPO and ADNDRC), Mr. Sun Hanhui (Panelist of CIETAC), Ms. Hang Min from CIETAC, Mr. Puneeth Ganapathy from AIAC delivered lectures on salient procedural and substantial issues in domain name dispute resolution. 

The seminar was well received by the attendees, and they commented that it is very informative and practical. It is the first of its kind dedicated to legal practitioners in Mainland China and marked the history of legal training of this subject.