In recent years, cross-border e-commerce platforms have severely cracked down on intellectual property infringements. For domestic sellers, applying for appearance at the location can protect the seller's rights and interests when appealing. Therefore, it is necessary for sellers to apply for patent protection for the corresponding site.
WIPO's statistical results show that there are 11 countries/regions in which the total number of overseas design applications submitted by Chinese applicants exceeds 1,000 during the six years from 2015 to 2020:
Of these top filing countries, India, Australia, Hong Kong and Thailand are four countries that have not yet joined the Hague System, and a whopping seven countries use a system of appearance substantive examination (Examining Office*) rather than registration system, it can be seen that Chinese applicants have confidence in products going overseas. In addition, affected by Brexit, the number of industrial appearance applications received by the UK from Chinese applicants is also in the forefront.
Next, in the six years from 2015 to 2020, the total number of overseas design applications submitted by Chinese applicants is 3-digit countries/regions, and there are a total of 20 countries/regions:
As the number of filings has declined, so has the share of examining offices. It can be seen that the outward application strategy of Chinese applicants is still relatively calm, and they still pay more attention to the stability of rights, which is not significantly related to whether the destination country adopts a review system or a registration system for appearance.
In the next stage, we come to countries/regions with 2-digit appearance applications, a total of 22:
Here, we are surprised to find that France, Ireland and Italy, the three EU countries, are all behind the two OWIPOs in the number of appearance applications they receive from the Chinese.
So, are there any countries where Chinese applicants have not submitted an appearance application in the six years from 2015 to 2020? There are, and there are quite a few, a total of 17, and all of them are Hague Contracting Parties without exception:
Seeing this, I believe everyone has realized that there are great differences in the regulations and examination practices of industrial design applications in various countries, reflecting great diversity. This diversity is reflected in the fact that the same application will face different requirements in different countries. Review methods and review results. Therefore, starting from the next article, the editor will introduce the top 31 countries that are most favored by Chinese applicants one by one, to help applicants rationally plan the application layout, prepare application documents to meet the different requirements of each country, and avoid possible rejections. Strive for smooth access to rights.