Recently, Guangzhou City of Guangdong Province officially issued the Measures for IP Protection at Exhibitions (hereinafter referred to as Measures).
According to the Measures, the IP administrative departments should set up an office or designate an liaison officer responsible for handling the complaints or cases submitted by the concerned party or rightholders, and this should be done for exhibitions of more than 3 days, or those organized by government, or those of international or national influence, or those most likely to find infringement. The measures provide that simplified procedures can be used in handling the cases, which means that the case can be settled within 48 hours.
The Measures also require that the accused infringer should timely show efficient evidence for non-infringement when being accused of infringement. If they fail to do so, the organizer of the exhibition can collect evidence by taking pictures of the accused products and give it to the complainant, or they can cooperate with the public security department in collecting evidence.
If the accused infringer refuses to provide evidence or does not allow taking photos of alleged exhibits, or refused to cooperate with the notary in collecting evidence, the relevant department can give an order for correction; or even a fine.
