On April 24, 2020, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) grants the application for registration of a combination trademark (see below image) filed by SOCIETE CIVILE DU DOMAINE DE LA ROMANEE-CONTI (applicant).

The CNIPA finds that, the applicant, which is situated in the region protected by geographical indication (GI) “ROMANÉE-CONTI”, is the only entity accredited by the Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO), French government bureau regulating French agricultural products with Protected Designations of Origin, to use such GI.

The CNIPA concludes that the use of the applicant’s combination mark containing GI element would neither cause misidentification in respect of product features like quality and place of origin among the public nor lead to any unhealthy influence, and therefore grants its registration.  

Registration of ROMANÉE-CONTI as a trademark in China will be conducive to its future fight against copycats.

Contributed by: Xiangrong Wu