Interpretations of the Supreme People's Court on Issues Concerning the Jurisdiction and Application of Law for Trademark Cases after the Implementation of the Decision on Amending the Trademark Law
Fa Shi [2014] No.4
March 25, 2014
(Adopted at the 1606th Meeting of the Judicial Committee of the Supreme People's Court on February 10, 2014)
The Interpretations of the Supreme People's Court on Relevant Issues Concerning the Jurisdiction and Application of Law for Trademark Cases after the Implementation of the Decision on Amending the Trademark Law (hereinafter referred to as the "Interpretations"), which were adopted at the 1606th meeting of the Judicial Committee of the Supreme People's Court on February 10, 2014, are hereby promulgated for implementation as of May 1, 2014.
In order to correctly hear trademark cases, the Interpretations with respect to the jurisdiction and application of law for people's courts when hearing trademark cases are hereby enacted in accordance with the Decisions Concerning Alternations to the Trademark Law of the People's Republic of China made at Fourth Meeting of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress on August 30, 2013 and the newly promulgated Trademark Law of the People's Republic of China, Civil Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China, the Law of the People's Republic of China on Administrative Proceedings and other laws.
Article 1 The people's courts may accept the following trademark cases:
1. administrative cases against the review decision or ruling made by the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board of the administrative department for industry and commerce under the State Council (hereinafter referred to as the "Board");
2. cases against other specific administrative acts in connection with trademark made by the administrative department for industry and commerce;
3. cases on the ownership of the right to the exclusive use of a trademark;
4. cases on disputes over infringement upon the right to the exclusive use of a trademark;
5. cases on disputes over confirmation of no infringement upon the right to the exclusive use of a trademark;
6. cases on disputes over contracts on assignment of the right to a trademark
7. cases on disputes over contracts on the license for use of a trademark;
8. cases on disputes over trademark agency contracts;
9. cases on application for suspension of infringement upon the right to the exclusive use of a trademark before litigation;
10. cases on damages liability due to the application for ceasing infringement upon the right to the exclusive use of a trademark;
11. cases on application for property preservation before litigation due to trademark disputes;
12. cases on applications for evidence preservation before litigation due to trademark disputes; and
13. other trademark cases.
Article 2 Those cases dissatisfied with decisions made by the Committee or specific administrative cases in connection with trademark decided by the Trademark Office of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (hereinafter referred to as the "Trademark Office") fall under the jurisdiction of the competent intermediate people's courts in Beijing Municipality.
Article 3 The first trial of trademarks civil cases fall under the jurisdiction of basic people's courts designated by the people's courts over intermediate level and the Supreme People's Court. Those civil and administrative cases that involve well-known trademark protection shall fall under the jurisdiction of other intermediate people's courts designated by the intermediate people's courts and the Supreme People's Court in prefecture-level cities, cities specifically designated in the state plan and the municipalities directly under the Central Government where the people's governments of provinces and autonomous regions locate.
Article 4 In the process of investigating the trademark infringement conducted by the industrial and commercial administrative departments, the people's court shall accept the civil lawsuit that is filed by the parties concerned with respect to the trademark ownership or the infringement upon the exclusive right to a trademark.
Article 5 Where the Trademark Office, after the implementation of the decision to modify the Trademark Law, refuses to accept the trademark registration or refuses to renew the trademark that were applied prior to the implementation of the decision to modify the Trademark Law, and the parties concerned file an administrative litigation, the people's courts shall apply the revised Trademark Law in review.
Where the Trademark Office, after the implementation of the decision to modify the Trademark Law, refuses to accept the trademark objection applied prior to the implementation of the decision to modify the Trademark Law, and the parties concerned file an administrative litigation, the people's courts shall apply the unrevised Trademark Law in review.
Article 6 Where the Trademark Office, after the implementation of the decision to modify the Trademark Law, makes review decision or rulings for the review for unapproved trademark that was applied by the parties concerned prior to the implementation of the decision to modify the Trademark Law, the people's courts shall apply the revised Trademark Law in review.
For the application for trademark review prior to the implementation of the decision to amend the Trademark Law, that the Board made an approval decision after the implementation of the same, the people's courts shall not accept the administrative litigation filed by the parties, if any. If the Board decides not to approve the registration after the implementation of the decision to amend the Trademark Law and the parties concerned file an administrative litigation, the people's courts shall apply the unrevised Trademark Law during investigating the matters concerning the right of action and right as principal.
Article 7 For trademark registration that has been approved prior to the implementation of the decision to amend the Trademark Law and that the Board accepts before the implementation of the same and makes review decision or rulings after the implementation of the same, the people's courts shall apply the revised Trademark Law to review the relevant procedures and the unrevised Trademark Law to review substantive issues in case of any administrative litigation filed by any parties concerned.
Article 8 For Trademark cases that are accepted prior to the implementation of the decision to amend the Trademark Law and that the Trademark Office and the Board make review decision or rulings after the implementation of the same, the people's court shall calculate the review time limit as of the implementation of the decision to revise the Trademark Law when deciding whether such decision or rulings comply with the relevant provisions on the time limit of the Trademark Law, in case of any administrative litigation filed by any parties concerned.
Article 9 Unless otherwise provided for in the Interpretations, for the trademark civil cases that are accepted by the people's courts after the implementation of the decision to modify the Trademark Law and involve acts occurred before the same, the unrevised Trademark Law shall apply or the revised one shall apply in case that the cases involve acts that occurred before the implementation of the decision to modify the Trademark Law and lasts after the same.
最高人民法院关于商标法修改决定施行后商标案件管辖和法律适用问题的解释
法释[2014]4号
《最高人民法院关于商标法修改决定施行后商标案件管辖和法律适用问题的解释》已于2014年2月10日由最高人民法院审判委员会第1606次会议通过，现予公布，自2014年5月1日起施行。
为正确审理商标案件，根据2013年8月30日第十二届全国人民代表大会常务委员会第四次会议《关于修改〈中华人民共和国商标法〉的决定》和重新公布的《中华人民共和国商标法》《中华人民共和国民事诉讼法》和《中华人民共和国行政诉讼法》等法律的规定，就人民法院审理商标案件有关管辖和法律适用等问题，制定本解释。
第一条 人民法院受理以下商标案件：
1.不服国务院工商行政管理部门商标评审委员会（以下简称商标评审委员会）作出的复审决定或者裁定的行政案件；
2.不服工商行政管理部门作出的有关商标的其他具体行政行为的案件；
3.商标权权属纠纷案件；
4.侵害商标专用权纠纷案件；
5.确认不侵害商标专用权纠纷案件；
6.商标权转让合同纠纷案件；
7.商标使用许可合同纠纷案件；
8.商标代理合同纠纷案件；
9.申请诉前停止侵害商标专用权案件；
10.因申请停止侵害商标专用权损害责任案件；
11.因商标纠纷申请诉前财产保全案件；
12.因商标纠纷申请诉前证据保全案件；
13.其他商标案件。
第二条 不服商标评审委员会作出的复审决定或者裁定的行政案件及国家工商行政管理总局商标局（以下简称商标局）作出的有关商标的具体行政行为案件，由北京市有关中级人民法院管辖。
第三条 第一审商标民事案件，由中级以上人民法院及最高人民法院指定的基层人民法院管辖。
涉及对驰名商标保护的民事、行政案件，由省、自治区人民政府所在地市、计划单列市、直辖市辖区中级人民法院及最高人民法院指定的其他中级人民法院管辖。
第四条 在工商行政管理部门查处侵害商标权行为过程中，当事人就相关商标提起商标权权属或者侵害商标专用权民事诉讼的，人民法院应当受理。
第五条 对于在商标法修改决定施行前提出的商标注册及续展申请，商标局于决定施行后作出对该商标申请不予受理或者不予续展的决定，当事人提起行政诉讼的，人民法院审查时适用修改后的商标法。
对于在商标法修改决定施行前提出的商标异议申请，商标局于决定施行后作出对该异议不予受理的决定，当事人提起行政诉讼的，人民法院审查时适用修改前的商标法。
第六条 对于在商标法修改决定施行前当事人就尚未核准注册的商标申请复审，商标评审委员会于决定施行后作出复审决定或者裁定，当事人提起行政诉讼的，人民法院审查时适用修改后的商标法。
对于在商标法修改决定施行前受理的商标复审申请，商标评审委员会于决定施行后作出核准注册决定，当事人提起行政诉讼的，人民法院不予受理；商标评审委员会于决定施行后作出不予核准注册决定，当事人提起行政诉讼的，人民法院审查相关诉权和主体资格问题时，适用修改前的商标法。
第七条 对于在商标法修改决定施行前已经核准注册的商标，商标评审委员会于决定施行前受理、在决定施行后作出复审决定或者裁定，当事人提起行政诉讼的，人民法院审查相关程序问题适用修改后的商标法，审查实体问题适用修改前的商标法。
第八条 对于在商标法修改决定施行前受理的相关商标案件，商标局、商标评审委员会于决定施行后作出决定或者裁定，当事人提起行政诉讼的，人民法院认定该决定或者裁定是否符合商标法有关审查时限规定时，应当从修改决定施行之日起计算该审查时限。
第九条 除本解释另行规定外，商标法修改决定施行后人民法院受理的商标民事案件，涉及该决定施行前发生的行为的，适用修改前商标法的规定;涉及该决定施行前发生，持续到该决定施行后的行为的，适用修改后商标法的规定。