WIPO Study Chronicles Remarkable Rise In Trademark Filings In China Province

A programme of promotion, education and incentives combined to bring about a remarkable rise in trademark filings in the Chinese municipality of Qingdao, a joint study of the World Intellectual Property Organization and Qingdao municipal government found. 

The study, which was conducted between 2011 and 2015, was released by WIPO this week. It studied the use in the province of the Madrid International Trademark System managed by WIPO.

“By the end of 2015, international applications filed under the Madrid System in Qingdao experienced a remarkable increase, rising to 1,836 filings during the five-year study period (compared to just 59 filings between 2006 and 2011),” WIPO said in the release. “Over 800 applications were filed in 2015 alone, representing nearly 35 percent of total filings from China and a staggering 88.15 percent of applications from Shandong Province.”

“This notable increase in applications under the Madrid System alongside parallel growth in economic development was dubbed the ‘Qingdao Phenomenon’,” it said.

The WIPO release states:

“The study, which will be supplemented by a video highlighting the key lessons learned and and a case study featuring local enterprises and individuals, identified three principal limitations affecting international trademark registration in Qingdao:

• Awareness of the importance of trademarks in international commerce;
• Breadth of government support for international trademark registration; and
• Level of expertise among trademark agencies.

Results from the Qingdao case study demonstrate how a targeted promotional, educational, and incentive-based program can overcome these limitations, giving rise to remarkable growth in international trademark applications under the Madrid System alongside parallel economic expansion.

• Summary of the report, including a more in-depth look at the strategies used by the Qingdao Government to overcome barriers to international trademark registration”