China Furniture Fair - CIFF 2015 Exhibitors Guide

The 35th China International Furniture Fair (Guangzhou) (2015 CIFF March) will be held at the China Import and Export Fair Complex (Pazhou), Guangzhou in two phases: 18-21 March and 28 March - 1 April. The first phase will showcases modern home furniture and classic home furniture, while the second phase will specialize in the office furniture and facilities.

For exhibitors' benefits and convenience, a CIFF Exhibitors Service Manual is prepared by the CIFF organizers. Download >>

Guide to Patent Complaints

Notice for Patent Complaints

1. Who can raise complaints?
(1) Patentees, interested parties or their attorneys
(2) Licensees of license agreements according to Patent Law
(3) Legitimate inheritors of patent rights
(4) Participants who match any one of the above requests and have authorized certificates for the Exhibition (certificates for exhibitors or buyers)

2. What documents should be prepared?
(1) Forms of patent complaints. Essential information of infringers and reasons or evidences of infringements must be filled out.
(2) Patent certificates (original copies shall be available)
(3) Patent publications of SIPO searched by local patent information centers (original copies shall be available)
(4) ID or registration certificates of patentees (original copies shall be available)
(5) Attorneys should put in powers of attorney in which their authorities are prescribed. If any foreign factor involved, powers of attorney and business registrations which have been notarized by foreign notary publics and certified by Chinese embassies or consulates are required (original copies shall be available)
(6) Certificates of patents' legal status (copies of patent certificates or searching results provided by patent information centers) (original copies shall be available)
(7) Licensees should put in license agreements and their ID or registration certificates (original copies shall be available)
(8) Legitimate inheritors of patent rights and relevant certifying documents (original copies shall be available)
(9) Where design patents are involved, evidence must be submitted which can prove that the infringers have sold the suspect items in the fair.
(10) Where patented process or product directly obtained by using the patented process is involved, proofs should be provided to show that the process used in the manufacture falls into the scope of the patent claims.
(11) Where chemical ingredients are involved, an authenticating report or evidences should be submitted to prove the accurate chemical composition of the suspicious item.
(12) Where judgments concerning the infringements are unavailable on spot in disputes of large-scale mechanical equipments or precision instruments' authenticating report or evidences proving the infringement must be submitted.
(13) All documents above should be in duplicate

3. What kind of complaints are not to be accepted?
(1) When complainants have instituted litigations on courts
(2) When requests for invalidation of patent rights have been raised
(3) When ownership disputes are under hearings by courts or under conciliations by patent administrations
(4) When patentees are restoring their ceased patents

Procedures for Settling Trademarks Disputes

1. Accepting:
(1) Trademark owner who raise trademark complains should go to the Specialized Market Office of the Administration of Industry and Commerce of Guangzhou Municipality and put in all the materials.
(2) If foreign trademark registrant was involved, they shall entrust any of such organizations as designated by the State to ace in his or her behalf.
(3) Complains shall be accepted if the documents put in are rightful and effective.

2. Settling
(1) If there is elementary evidence to prove the infringement, the administrative authority will investigate the booths involved and decide correspondingly
(2) If there is infringement, the administrative authority should punish the infringer according to the law
(3) If there is no evidence to prove the infringement, the administrative authority will not settle the case.
(4) The administrative authority in charge of the case shall give a decision to the trademark owner.

Documents Required

1. Master copy of application form signed by trademark owner for administration to deal with infringement;
2. Reasons and evidences, including sample or photo of infringing commodity;
3. Essential information about defendant;
4. Domestic complainant should put in business license or a copy of ID card;
5. Attorney should put in a copy of power of attorney signed by trademark owner (master copy should be available); under the circumstance of long-term commission by foreign client, master copies of power of attorney and authentication of Chinese embassy should be available; if there is any difficulty regarding the master copies, copies of power of attorney and authentication should be notarized by domestic notary;
6. Attorney should put in copies of his or her own business license, lawyer's certificate and ID card (master copies should be available);
7. Copy of trademark certificate (master copy should be available); in foreign cases, if there is any difficulty regarding master copy, master copy of authentication by Chinese embassy should be supplied; if there is still any difficulty, a copy of authentication notarized by domestic notary should be put in;
8. For trademark which has been internationally registered and has been extended to China, a copy of international registration certificate should be put in, besides, a copy of authentication given by the Trademark Office of SAIC is required (master copies should be available);
9. Other documents required by administration.

Procedures for Settling Copyright Disputes

1. Filing Complaints: Following requests should be satisfied
(1) Complainants
- Copyright owners, legitimate inheritors or their attorneys;
- Foreign complainants should put in their ID certificates and authentications of ownership signed by foreign governments and Chinese embassies there. Documents in English should be translated;
- Participants who have authorized certificates for the Exhibition
(2) Materials Required:
- Registration certificates of works (copies should be checked against originals);
- Right owners' ID cards and business licenses (copies should be checked against originals);
- Powers of attorney and attorneys' ID cards;
- Relevant certifying documents of legitimate inheritors.

2. Examining: Whether documents put in are rightful and effective

3. Accepting: After complaints are put forward, the CIFF organizers will handle accordingly.

4. Settling: Booths involved will be investigated by the CIFF organizers and correspondant decisioins will be concluded.
(1) Defendants should explain legal sources of copyrights of their items, testifying no infringement exists. Otherwise, we will charge their items involved out; then, defendants should sign promises that the items will no longer emerged on the Exhibition.
(2) If there is any opposition against our settlement, defendant may put in supplementary evidences within one working day. If the evidences are effective, the defendant is permitted to continue displaying; otherwise, we will hold out his or her items during the Exhibition and deal with the case according to relevant regulations.

5. Pegeonholing: After settling, the case will be recorded in detail and returned dossiers to the complaining spot.