中国卖家(贸易商)在美国申请了多少商标?
在2021年,全球向美国专利商标局(USPTO)提交的商标申请高达73.2万件,如果包括特定类别的申请,则超过了90万件。
这一申请量,比上一年增加了27.9%。这一增量的主要贡献者是中国跨境电商卖家(贸易商)——占增量的61.5%。
如果我们看总占比,更能够看出中国申请人数量的激增程度。在2013年,中国申请人在美国商标总申请量中的占比非常小,仅为2.3%,而在2021年,这一占比飙升到25%。(《USPTO 2021年度绩效与责任报告》)这得益于亚马逊等电商平台的崛起,让大量卖家实现了“肉身在国内,生意在美国”的跨境生存模式。
不过,这些商标中有许多是“带病商标”。2021年,中国企业在美国共申请了23万个商标。如果按美国商务部披露的“37%抽查造假的比例”来计算,可能存在8.51万个“问题商标”。这一数据,跟近年发生的“13000个商标暴雷”“6000多个商标面临失效、品牌备案异常”的事件,有了一个相互印证。
2019年-2020年,美国专利商标局(USPTO)公布了一批被调查的对象,其中相当部分是来自中国的商标注册者,其中,深圳最多,厦门其次,其次来自武汉、上海、东莞、青岛、杭州等多个城市。
为什么中国卖家的商标老是出现造假情况呢?
这既跟一部分卖家自己有关,也跟一部分商标服务商有关。亚马逊在2015年推出了品牌注册系统(Brand Registry),以解决困扰已久的知识产权纠纷问题。
卖家为了狙击跟卖者,或者为了抢走竞争对手之前申请,纷纷进入亚马逊品牌注册系统,甚至为了便捷,使用虚假证明材料申请商标。
与此同时,一些卖家择低价而取,选择了“低报价的代理服务商”,而服务商为了利润,又在申请过程中偷工减料,以假充真。最重要的是,美国专利商标局(USPTO)为了减少境外申请人的不合规申请,要求所有境外申请人需聘用美国律师递交申请。大量问题就出现这里。
依照正常的合作模式聘请美国律师成本较高,因此,国内一些商标代理商不聘用美国律师,而是“租用”他们的资质,以此方式提交申请。这显然不合规的。由此导致乱象频出。
一位名为Jeffrey Stewart Firestone律师在2021年7月去世,但在同年8月,依然有超过300分的美国商标答复以其名义提交。为此,美国专利商标局(USPTO)开始调查那些租用资质的美国律师,接着,顺藤摸瓜,找到了一批违规操作的中国商标代理机构。据美国专利商标局(USPTO)官网查询发现,自2012年至今,已有500余家中国代理机构收到USPTO的问询。
由此可见,国内的跨境商标代理行业泥沙俱下,鱼龙混杂,卖家们要仔细甄选。因为,一些卖家注册了6年乃至8年的老商标也出现了问题,注册费损失事小,最重要的是,卖家可能损失商标背后的一个经营多年的老店铺,乃至一个倾注了巨大心血的品牌(用户心智影响+无形品牌资产)。
“砸了那么多钱做品牌推广,商标要是没了,一夜回到解放前!”这是商标暴雷后的卖家发出的沉痛感叹,对我们来说,具有深刻的警示意义。因此,卖家们选择一个务实的商标代理机构,尤为重要。
注:文章来源于网络整理,如侵删。
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