The March issue of this newsletter contains a reminder on the use of NCAA playoff names and logos, an overview of the latest amendments to China's Trademark Law, and an updated list of the Sunrise periods currently open for new gTLDs.

Don't be Overcome by MARCH MADNESS

With the NCAA playoffs hitting a fevered pitch, we remind our clients to avoid implying a tie-in or relationship with these events in your promotions and social media posts. Unless you are an official sponsor, we recommend that you not use the names (such as MARCH MADNESS, SWEET SIXTEEN, and FINAL FOUR) or logos associated with these events at all, but instead use generic terms such as "playoffs" if you must refer to these events in your commercial communications.

Changes Coming in China

China has rapidly become a must-file jurisdiction for brand owners looking to do business within the world's second largest economy, and those looking to protect their trademark assets in a marketplace known as one of the world's largest sources of brand hijacking/counterfeiting. On May 1, 2014 the latest amendments to China's Trademark Law will come into force, and many of these amendments will streamline the processing of trademark applications. In particular, we are pleased to note that China will
be introducing an electronic trademark application filing system, and instituting multi-Class trademark applications. These changes are predicted to cut the time to registration to 12 months, and decrease the costs of filing in multiple Classes. We recommend that clients re-evaluate their portfolios, and see whether additional filings under the multi-Class system might help fill any holes in current coverage.

gTLD Sunrise Periods Now Open

As first reported in our December 2013 newsletter, the first new generic toplevel domains (gTLDs, the group of letters after the "dot" in a domain name) have launched their "Sunrise" registration periods. Please see our December 2013 newsletter for information as to what the Sunrise Period is, and how to become eligible to register a domain name under one of the new gTLDs during this period.