On October 16-17, 2024, S&O IP conducted intellectual property rights (IPR) training sessions with Weihai and Qingdao Customs, engaging 22 frontline officials from both customs offices.

The S&O IP China team has coordinated these training initiatives in response to reported infringements and counterfeit goods in cross-border e-commerce. Weihai and Qingdao Customs expressed their commitment to addressing these challenges and actively collaborated to organize the sessions.

The training provided customs officials with comprehensive knowledge about brand characteristics, anti-counterfeiting measures, and practical experience in identifying genuine and counterfeit products. Hands-on exposure to real and fake samples enhanced their ability to detect counterfeits effectively.

Post-training discussions with customs officials revealed valuable insights into the inspection within their jurisdictions. Qingdao Customs reported that their inspection batches account for 70% of the total customs activities in the area, highlighting their critical role in monitoring infringement and illegal activities. Similarly, Weihai Customs shared that due to its unique geographical location, the area has rich trade exchanges with Japan and South Korea, especially in recent years with the development of international e-commerce, the number of infringement cases in customs has been increasing.

Both customs offices expressed gratitude for the training and conveyed their desire to maintain ongoing cooperation with rights holders. They are ready to actively collaborate on infringement issues and strengthen brand IP rights protection.

If you have any inquiries regarding intellectual property matters in China, please don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected].