In a landmark case, Chinese officials recently allowed a foreign company, fashion designer Michael Bastian, to block a third-party squatter from stealing its trademark. No foreigner had ever won one of these cases in China, but after five years of litigation, the Chinese Trade and Arbitration Board rejected the squatter’s registration of the “Michael Bastian” mark, finding it evident that “[the squatter] carried ill intentions.”
By paving the way for foreigners to leverage their IP in China, the Bastian ruling is encouraging for celebrities and brands looking to enter the $5.9 billion Chinese market for licensed goods.