SAIC to combat malicious trademark registration and free riding

China's State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) will take an active approach in governing domestic food market and improving market owner registeration procedures, announced on July 18 by the administration, whose power to oversee food safety in circulation sector has been detached and attached to a newly established food & drug authority as required by the State Council (the Cabinet), an attempt of the broader efforts of the central government to further institutional restructuring and functional transmission. 

Local AICs are urged to fully comply with applicable legislations, including laws and regulations on trademark, advertising, anti-monopoly and unfair competition, to give full play of their role as a market regulator and administrative enforcement executor.

To be more specific, malicious trademark registration, as well as any form of monopoly, abuse of market dominance and free riding of food trademarks, will be severely combated. 

An effort will also be made to guide and monitor mass media advertising to avoid over exaggeration of therapeutic effect of ordinary food. 

As deployed by the State Council to propel institutional restructuring, reports and complaints concerning food security will be handled by the newly established food & drug administration in the future, while other filings that fall into the authority of AICs will still be properly processed in line with applicable legal procedures as usual. [Chinese version is available on gmw.cn]