As one of the top filers in the region, Advance China IP Office finished 2010 with 4,028 domestic patent applications and 5,702 for trade mark. The team comprises 160 people and is highly experienced in mechanics, chemistry and electronics. It has also submitted 110 PCT filings and 1,395 overseas trade mark applications. "They assigned a specific person to follow each case and when things are urgent, they are still able to deliver results," said a long-term client.
In April 2010, the firm obtained an impressive result when it acted for a coating material manufacturer from Hangzhou in a trade mark proceeding. The Beijing Higher People's Court for the first time clarified the rule of three-year non-use, that if a mark is not used for three consecutive years, anyone can apply to invalidate it. In order to maintain the trade mark, owners must prove that the actual use is real, rather than tokenistic use like placing a tiny advert in a newspaper.
The firm also won a case for the leading domestic brand Gree Electric Appliances which concerns the conflict between trade names and trade marks. Domestically well-known brand names in its client portfolio include Guangqi Honda Automobile, Guangdong Midea Holdings, Tencent, and Guangdong Chigo Air-Conditioning.