Interpretation on Several Issues Concerning the Application of the Law to Trials of Civil Disputes Involving the Protection of Well-known Trademarks
关于审理涉及驰名商标保护的民事纠纷案件应用法律若干问题的解释
The Interpretation sets forth circumstances under which a people's court will not examine whether the concerned trademark is well-known or not.
(Promulgated by the Supreme People's Court on April 23 2009 and effective as of May 1 2009.)
(最高人民法院于二零零九年四月二十三日公布，自二零零九年五月一日起施行。)
SPC Interpretation [2009] No.3
法释〔2009〕3号
The Interpretation has been formulated pursuant to relevant laws such as the PRC Trademark Law, the PRC Anti-unfair Competition Law and the PRC Civil Procedure Law (2nd Revision), and taking into consideration trial realities in order to protect in accordance with the law well-known trademarks in the course of the trial of trademark infringement and other such civil disputes.
为在审理侵犯商标权等民事纠纷案件中依法保护驰名商标，根据《中华人民共和国商标法》、《中华人民共和国反不正当竞争法》、《中华人民共和国民事诉讼法 (第二次修正)》等有关法律规定，结合审判实际，制定本解释。
Article 1: For the purposes of the Interpretation, the term “well-known trademark” means a trademark that is widely known by the relevant public in China.
第一条 本解释所称驰名商标，是指在中国境内为相关公众广为知晓的商标。
Article 2: If, in any of the following types of civil disputes, a concerned party presents as a factual basis its trademark being well-known, the people's court shall, if it genuinely deems it necessary based on the actual circumstances of the case, determine whether the concerned trademark is well-known or not:
第二条 在下列民事纠纷案件中，当事人以商标驰名作为事实根据，人民法院根据案件具体情况，认为确有必要的，对所涉商标是否驰名作出认定：
(1) a trademark infringement action instituted on the grounds of violation of Article 13 of the Trademark Law;
（一）以违反商标法第十三条的规定为由，提起的侵犯商标权诉讼；
(2) a trademark infringement action or unfair competition action instituted on the grounds of an enterprise name being identical or similar to its well-known trademark; or
（二）以企业名称与其驰名商标相同或者近似为由，提起的侵犯商标权或者不正当竞争诉讼；
(3) a plea or counterclaim action that satisfies Article 6 hereof.
（三）符合本解释第六条规定的抗辩或者反诉的诉讼。
Article 3: A people's court will not examine whether the concerned trademark is well-known or not in either of the following types of civil disputes:
第三条 在下列民事纠纷案件中，人民法院对于所涉商标是否驰名不予审查：
(1) one where presentation of the trademark as being well-known is not the factual basis for establishment of the alleged trademark infringement or unfair competition; or
（一）被诉侵犯商标权或者不正当竞争行为的成立不以商标驰名为事实根据的；
(2) one where the alleged trademark infringement or unfair competition is not established due to the fact that it does not satisfy the crucial conditions specified in law.
（二）被诉侵犯商标权或者不正当竞争行为因不具备法律规定的其他要件而不成立的。
Where a plaintiff institutes an infringement action on the grounds that the domain name registered and used by the defendant is identical or similar to the plaintiff's registered trademark and the defendant engages in the e-commerce of trading relevant goods through such domain name, thereby being able to cause mistaken recognition among the relevant public, the case shall be handled in accordance with Item (1) of the preceding paragraph.
原告以被告注册、使用的域名与其注册商标相同或者近似，并通过该域名进行相关商品交易的电子商务，足以造成相关公众误认为由，提起的侵权诉讼，按照前款第（一）项的规定处理。
Article 4: When a people's court determines whether a trademark is well-known, it shall do so based on the facts evidencing its being well-known and by comprehensively considering all of the factors set forth in Article 14 of the Trademark Law, unless, based on the actual circumstances of the case, there is no need to consider all of the factors set forth in said Article in order to determine that the trademark is well-known.
第四条 人民法院认定商标是否驰名，应当以证明其驰名的事实为依据，综合考虑商标法第十四条规定的各项因素，但是根据案件具体情况无需考虑该条规定的全部因素即足以认定商标驰名的情形除外。
Article 5: Where a party asserts that its trademark is well-known, it shall, based on the actual circumstances of the case, provide the following evidence to establish that its trademark was well-known at the time of the occurrence of the alleged trademark infringement or unfair competition:
第五条 当事人主张商标驰名的，应当根据案件具体情况，提供下列证据，证明被诉侵犯商标权或者不正当竞争行为发生时，其商标已属驰名：
(1) the market share, sales territory, and profit and taxes of the goods for which the trademark is used;
（一）使用该商标的商品的市场份额、销售区域、利税等；
(2) the period of continuous use of the trademark;
（二）该商标的持续使用时间；
(3) the method, continuous period and degree of publicity or promotional activities for the trademark, and the funds injected therein and the geographical scope thereof;
（三）该商标的宣传或者促销活动的方式、持续时间、程度、资金投入和地域范围；
(4) the record of protection of the trademark as a well-known trademark;
（四）该商标曾被作为驰名商标受保护的记录；
(5) the market reputation of the trademark; and
（五）该商标享有的市场声誉；
(6) other facts that evidence that the trademark was well-known.
（六）证明该商标已属驰名的其他事实。
The period, scope, method, etc. of use of the trademark as mentioned in the preceding paragraph includes the continuous use thereof before registration thereof was granted.
前款所涉及的商标使用的时间、范围、方式等，包括其核准注册前持续使用的情形。
With respect to evidence such as the period of use of the trademark, ranking in the industry, market survey reports, market value appraisal reports, and whether the trademark has previously been recognised as a famous trademark, the people's court shall objectively and comprehensively examine them together with the other evidence submitted for recognition of the trademark as well-known.
对于商标使用时间长短、行业排名、市场调查报告、市场价值评估报告、是否曾被认定为著名商标等证据，人民法院应当结合认定商标驰名的其他证据，客观、全面地进行审查。
Article 6: If a plaintiff institutes a civil action on the grounds that use of the alleged infringing trademark infringes its exclusive right to use the registered trademark and the defendant makes a plea or institutes a counterclaim on the grounds that the plaintiff's registered trademark reproduces, copies or translates its earlier unregistered well-known trademark, the defendant shall bear the burden of proving the fact that its earlier unregistered trademark is well-known.
第六条 原告以被诉商标的使用侵犯其注册商标专用权为由提起民事诉讼，被告以原告的注册商标复制、摹仿或者翻译其在先未注册驰名商标为由提出抗辩或者提起反诉的，应当对其在先未注册商标驰名的事实负举证责任。
Article 7: If a trademark was previously recognised as well-known by a people's court or the State Council's administration for industry and commerce before the occurrence of the alleged trademark infringement or unfair competition and the defendant does not dispute the fact that the trademark is well-known, the people's court shall give such recognition. If the defendant disputes such fact, the plaintiff shall still bear the burden of proving the fact that its trademark is well-known.
第七条 被诉侵犯商标权或者不正当竞争行为发生前，曾被人民法院或者国务院工商行政管理部门认定驰名的商标，被告对该商标驰名的事实不持异议的，人民法院应当予以认定。被告提出异议的，原告仍应当对该商标驰名的事实负举证责任。
Unless otherwise specified herein, a people's court shall not apply the self-admission rule for evidence in civil procedures to the fact of whether a trademark is well-known.
除本解释另有规定外，人民法院对于商标驰名的事实，不适用民事诉讼证据的自认规则。
Article 8: If a plaintiff, with respect to a trademark that is widely known to the public in China, provides basic evidence of its trademark being well-known, or if the defendant does not dispute such fact, the people's court shall recognise the fact of the trademark being well-known.
第八条 对于在中国境内为社会公众广为知晓的商标，原告已提供其商标驰名的基本证据，或者被告不持异议的，人民法院对该商标驰名的事实予以认定。
Article 9: If mistaken recognition of the sources of the goods for which a well-known trademark and the alleged infringing trademark are used may be caused among the relevant public, or if a belief may be caused among the relevant public that a specific relationship, such as a licensing arrangement and affiliation, exists between the business operators that use the well-known trademark and the alleged infringing trademark, such circumstance is deemed to fall under “liable to create confusion” as specified in the first paragraph of Article 13 of the Trademark Law.
第九条 足以使相关公众对使用驰名商标和被诉商标的商品来源产生误认，或者足以使相关公众认为使用驰名商标和被诉商标的经营者之间具有许可使用、关联企业关系等特定联系的，属于商标法第十三条第一款规定的“容易导致混淆”。
If a belief that there exists a substantial connection between the alleged infringing trademark and the well-known trademark may be caused among the relevant public, thereby weakening the distinctiveness of the well-known Trademark or damaging the market reputation of the well-known Trademark, or if the market reputation of the well-known trademark is used illegitimately, such circumstance is deemed to fall under “would confuse the public and possibly prejudice the interests of the registrant of the well-known trademark” as specified in the second paragraph of Article 13 of the Trademark Law.
足以使相关公众认为被诉商标与驰名商标具有相当程度的联系，而减弱驰名商标的显著性、贬损驰名商标的市场声誉，或者不正当利用驰名商标的市场声誉的，属于商标法第十三条第二款规定的“误导公众，致使该驰名商标注册人的利益可能受到损害”。
Article 10: Where a plaintiff requests that the defendant be prohibited from using a trademark or enterprise name identical or similar to its well-known registered trademark for dissimilar goods, the people's court shall render its judgment or ruling based on the specific circumstances of the case after comprehensively considering the following factors:
第十条 原告请求禁止被告在不相类似商品上使用与原告驰名的注册商标相同或者近似的商标或者企业名称的，人民法院应当根据案件具体情况，综合考虑以下因素后作出裁判：
(1) the degree of distinctiveness of the well-known trademark;
（一）该驰名商标的显著程度；
(2) the degree to which the well-known trademark is known to the relevant public of the goods for which the alleged infringing trademark or enterprise name is used;
（二）该驰名商标在使用被诉商标或者企业名称的商品的相关公众中的知晓程度；
(3) the degree of association between the goods for which the well-known trademark is used and the goods for which the alleged infringing trademark or enterprise name is used; and
（三）使用驰名商标的商品与使用被诉商标或者企业名称的商品之间的关联程度；
(4) other relevant factors.
（四）其他相关因素。
Article 11: If the registered trademark used by a defendant violates Article 13 of the Trademark Law by reproducing, copying or translating the well-known trademark of the plaintiff, and such reproduction, copying or translation constitutes trademark infringement, the people's court shall, as requested by the plaintiff, render a judgment in accordance with the law prohibiting the defendant from using said trademark; however, the people's court shall not uphold the plaintiff's request if either of the following circumstances applies to the defendant's registered trademark:
第十一条 被告使用的注册商标违反商标法第十三条的规定，复制、摹仿或者翻译原告驰名商标，构成侵犯商标权的，人民法院应当根据原告的请求，依法判决禁止被告使用该商标，但被告的注册商标有下列情形之一的，人民法院对原告的请求不予支持：
(1) the time limit for requesting cancellation as specified in the second paragraph of Article 41 of the Trademark Law has expired; or
（一）已经超过商标法第四十一条第二款规定的请求撤销期限的；
(2) the plaintiff's trademark was not well-known at the time the defendant submitted its application for registration.
（二）被告提出注册申请时，原告的商标并不驰名的。
Article 12: If the circumstances specified in Article 10, 11 or 12 of the Trademark Law under which a mark is prohibited from being used or registered as a trademark applies to an unregistered well-known trademark for which a party has requested protection, the people's court shall not uphold such request.
第十二条 当事人请求保护的未注册驰名商标，属于商标法第十条、第十一条、第十二条规定不得作为商标使用或者注册情形的，人民法院不予支持。
Article 13: In a civil dispute case involving the protection of a well-known trademark, the people's court shall treat recognition of the well-known trademark solely as a fact in the case and grounds for its judgment, and shall not include the same in the main body of its judgment. If the trial is concluded through mediation, the fact of the trademark being well-known shall not be recognised in the settlement agreement.
第十三条 在涉及驰名商标保护的民事纠纷案件中，人民法院对于商标驰名的认定，仅作为案件事实和判决理由，不写入判决主文；以调解方式审结的，在调解书中对商标驰名的事实不予认定。
Article 14: In the event of a discrepancy between previous relevant judicial interpretations of this court and the Interpretation, the Interpretation shall prevail.
第十四条 本院以前有关司法解释与本解释不一致的，以本解释为准。
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