Legislation roundup: Law firm reforms and product quality complaints
November 30, 2012 | BY
clpstaff &clp articles &The Ministry of Justice has issued measures allowing law firms to fully engage in the trademark agency business by prosecuting trademarks and handling reviews of rejected applications. The Ministry also issued measures allowing Hong Kong and Macao firms to associate with more than one mainland firm
Intellectual property
Ministry of Justice, Measures for the Administration of the Engagement in Trademark Agency Business by Law Firms
Law firms are to be allowed to engage in full trademark agency services. In addition to international registration that does not use the Madrid System, administrative review, litigation, mediation, arbitration and other such trademark agency businesses that law firms have been allowed to engage in, they will now be allowed from January 1 2013, after record filing, to handle trademark prosecution and to ask for reviews of rejected applications.
(Full translation will be available in the Jan/Feb issue)
Further reading:
PRC Trademark Law (2nd Revision), Dec 2001/Jan 2002
PRC Trademark Law Implementing Regulations, Oct 2002
Hong Kong and Macao
Ministry of Justice, Measures for the Administration of Associations Between Law Firms of the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions and Mainland Law Firms (5th Revision)
With the new revision, Hong Kong and Macao law firms will be allowed to operate in association with up to three mainland law firms, starting from January 2013.
See the digest for more details.
Further reading:
The PRC/HK CEPA: What's on Offer for Hong Kong Law Firms?, Nov 2003
Retail and wholesale
General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, Measures on Handling Product Quality Complaints (Draft for Comments)
According to the Draft, quality and technical supervision departments will not handle complaints from consumers who knew or should have known that the quality problem existed at the time they purchased the product. Cases in which the warranty period has expired will not be entertained unless the use-by date clearly shown has not yet expired.
See the digest for more details.
Further reading:
Keeping an eye on product liability, Sep 2010
PRC Product Quality Law (Revised), Sep 2000
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