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Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Hong Kong as Asia's IP Trading Platform

Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) organize a one day conference with the title "Hong Kong as Asia's IP Trading Platform" on 2 December 2011. Details of the function can be found here. We have not much involvement in the past in terms of IP trading. We have not made up our mind whether to join or not.

Cost is HKD400 per head including Keynote Luncheon, so it is not expensive by all standard.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Posting from the restaurant

Just try out on the iPod touch version of blogger to post this blog. And I am also reading some recently published patents applied by Apple. So better laptop are coming soon enough.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

McDonald's blocks the yellow ‘’W’’ on red!!

"You use 'M' as your company trade mark so that I would be banned to use 'W'? Your 'M' trade mark represents a door, whereas our 'W' represents a container. There is no relationship with McDonald's," a spokesman of 'WONDERFUL萬德福' said.


'WONDERFUL萬德福' is a company involved in producing different kinds of foods and related services in China, uses a yellow 'W' on red as its trade mark. In 2003, WONDERFUL's trademark registration was objected by McDonald’s. The outcome was that WONDERFUL was revoked with the registration in the restaurant category.


However, McDonald’s does not satisfy the result and further pursue for the removal of the 'W' mark completely.


The legal process is now being handled in Beijing's court. http://hk.news.yahoo.com/紅底黃字w商標-麥當勞要封殺-213301877.html

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Translation of Chinese patent applications into English

Demand for translation works has been increased in the past 12-months.

In the standard process for our clients who file their first patent application in China and followed by filing the same in US and EPO, we translate from Chinese to English for any redrafting work done by patent attorney in US or Europe. This is an obvious choice for those inventor / applicant who can approve Chinese language.

Our US clients have their patent applications first filed in US need translation from English to Chinese for further redraft before filing to China SIPO.

In the past year, we also have requests from foreign attorney to translate Chinese patent application into English for possible litigation process in US or China, and this type of demand is increasing.

One client believed that his competitor have a patent granted in China that actually copied some of the key features of his products. In order to start the legal process to invalidate the Chinese patent, the first step was to perform evaluation and a formal translation of the Chinese patent was performed by us and the client's US attorney reviewed the Chinese patent. After that we have also translated a few US patents into Chinese for the legal process in China to invalidate the competitor's China patent. The legal process in China is now in progress.

With change to PCT rule 34.1 on minimum documentation to include Chinese patent documents as prior arts becomes effective on 1 July 2012, we think that the demand for translation on patent application related to Chinese language would be increased. Our translators in Hong Kong and China would pick up more business in the near future.

A background analysis on the subject can be found in an April blog from The Patent Bric. The Chinese news posted on SIPO can be found here.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Unix and C creator Dennis Ritchie dies at 70

In my previous life, before I head for patent applications, I was a programmer / system engineer / developer. Now, I would like to use one of my blog to thank someone who created C programming language. I have been using C for above 5 years in my professional life.

Related news in BBC, and Computer World (UK).

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Samsung’s Patent War With Apple - at the last days of Steve Jobs

Samsung is seeking an injunction to get the new iPhone 4S banned from sale in France and Italy. It claims that Apple has used 3G wireless technology, which Samsung invented, without paying for it.
Samsung said in a statement "Apple has continued to flagrantly violate our intellectual property rights and free ride on our technology, and we will steadfastly protect our intellectual property,".
A patent war between the companies has been booming!! This is particular painful for Apple when they lost their beloved founder.
News in Total Telecom.