Recently, Premier Li Keqiang signed a decree of State Council to publicize the revised Regulations on the Protection of Olympic Symbols (or “the Regulations”) expected to take effect starting from July 31, 2018. The new Regulations improve the identification and licensing procedure of Olympic Symbols and stipulate that the symbol owners should submit the Olympic symbols to the IPR competent authorities of State Council for public notice.
According to the revised Regulations, the administration for market regulation and the IPR authority under State Council are in charge of the protection of Olympic symbols nationwide. The new Regulations increase the valid term and renewal procedure of Olympic symbols by specifying that the valid term for Olympic symbols is 10 years and can be extended. The Regulations strengthen the protection of exclusive rights for Olympic symbols by specifying that it is forbidden to use the Olympic symbols for commercial purposes without license or use similar signs causing confusion among the public, i.e. infringing upon the exclusive rights of Olympic symbols. Meanwhile, the administrative punishment is strengthened by increasing the fine for infringement upon the exclusive rights of Olympic symbols.
As introduced, the Regulations promulgated in 2002 played a critical role in ensuring the success of 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Source: China IP News