Shenzhen Announces IP Rights Compliance Guide for Electronics Refurbishment Market


Now Shenzhen   |   May 2, 2022
Image

THE country’s first criminal compliance guide (trial version) for intellectual property right (IPR) in the electronics refurbishment industry was unveiled at an industrial summit held by the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Procuratorate, ahead of the World Intellectual Property Day that fell on Tuesday, Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported.

There is a huge market for refurbished electronic products. About a quarter of criminal trademark infringement cases handled by the Municipal People’s Procuratorate were involved with refurbished electronic products in recent years, according to the report.

The development of the electronics refurbishment industry is in line with the country’s initiative to promote a circular economy. However, the lack of compliance and vague boundaries between infringement and crime have caused a phenomenon known as “bad money drives out good money” in the market, posing a threat to the industry’s healthy development.

As a result, it is necessary to release a compliance guide to regulate the market, said the report.

The guide was based on related cases the city has dealt with in recent years, using summaries of its key features, as well as in-depth research and investigation.

The guide was designed to raise awareness on the industry’s workers, regulate the market and help the industry enhance its capability to handle related risks to achieve a standard business operation and protect the rights of market players, IPR owners and consumers as well as contribute to green development.

The guide is divided into five sections, specifying general principles and 15 suggested requirements such as adding a tag to refurbished products, using reliable components for refurbished products and offering different warranty periods.

At the same time, a model text disclosing information of refurbished products was published.

Participants of the summit include procuratorate officials across the country, university’ professors, lawyers as well as company representatives from Huawei, Apple, OPPO and Honor. Participants spoke highly of the guide and suggested promoting it nationwide.

ARTICLE FROM: Shenzhen Daily