Recovering a Saudi Food Brand Bad-Faith Registered in China

A Saudi food company famous in the Gulf (15 years of use, SAR 80M annual revenue) planned entry to the Chinese market. Upon checking CNIPA database, discovered a Chinese squatter had registered the mark 3 years prior in 4 classes. His offer: sell the mark for SAR 8M.

Filing a cancellation action with CNIPA based on "bad faith" and "international prior fame." A Beijing-based legal partner managed proceedings. Decisive evidence: 15 years of Gulf advertising, registration certificates in 6 countries, proof the squatter owns 23 other internationally-pattern-registered marks.

Cancellation of all 4 registrations by CNIPA ruling. Re-registering the mark in the client's name in 4 classes + Chinese transliteration + Pinyin. Operation cost: SAR 220,000 (versus SAR 8M demanded by the squatter). Entry to the Chinese market with a fully protected mark.