Chinese Brands Go Global: Thomson CompuMark Identifies China as Global Brand Leader among Emerging Nations

- Chinese Multinationals Increased International Trademark Filings 84 Percent over Last Five Years

HONG KONG & NORTH QUINCY, Massachusetts, May 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Chinese brands are expanding internationally at a rapidly-growing pace, according to a new report from Thomson Reuters CompuMark, a Thomson Reuters Intellectual Property & Science business and global leader in trademark searching and brand protection solutions, announced today at the INTA 2014 Annual Meeting.

The new report, Chinese Brands Go Global: Best Practices for Global Brand Expansion from China, tracks trends in global trademark activity among Chinese and other international brands over the last 25 years based on data from the Thomson Reuters CompuMark SAEGIS® on SERION^®. It also includes analysis and key steps to effective brand protection and the global expansion strategies of some of China's leading brands, with commentary from intellectual property professionals at Alibaba Group, Tencent, the China Trademark Association and Unitalen Attorneys at Law.

"When it comes to tracking global brand trends, few barometers are more reliable than trademark filing data," said Linda Guo, managing director, Thomson Reuters, China IP & Science. "By analyzing the broadest and most comprehensive collection of trademark data, Thomson Reuters CompuMark identified a tipping point in the growth of Chinese multinational brands, one that poses enormous potential for business growth over the next several years. It's no surprise that 73 of the Fortune Global 500 list, featuring the world's largest companies, are from China"

The first analysis of its kind to evaluate the international strategies of Chinese brands outside of China, the new report spotlights the nascent development of Chinese multinationals as they expand in leaps and bounds from a home base in one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. Following are some of the report's key observations:

• International Trademark Filing by Chinese Firms Skyrockets: Over the last five years, the total volume of international trademarks filed by Chinese firms in other jurisdictions around the world has increased 84 percent to reach a total of 35,637 in 2013.  From 1990 to 2013 that volume grew over 4,700 percent. 
• China Ranks 7^th in World in Foreign Trademark Filings: On a global scale, China's current levels of international trademark activity rank in seventh place, behind the U.S., Japan, Germany, Hong Kong, the U.K. and France.
• Created in China, Not Just Made There: The current market environment for Chinese brand owners is experiencing a shift as more and more companies are designing and creating their own products.  Likewise, many Chinese multinationals are starting to acquire western firms and inheriting IP rights and insight.
• Just the Beginning:  Commentary from intellectual property experts at leading Chinese multinational brands, law firms and government agencies confirms that although trademark applications are on the rise, the concept of foreign trademark protection is still relatively new among many Chinese firms.  The country is currently undergoing a major transformation, as businesses get more serious about global trademark strategy.

"China's economy has grown so rapidly, laying the foundation for the manufacturing and service industries to evolve into international competitors," said Yun Xiao, deputy secretary general of the China Trademark Association. "Over that time, the concept of brand awareness has gradually come to influence consumer behavior and many foreign brands have become admired in that regard."

View the full report here: Chinese Brands Go Global: Best Practices for Global Brand Expansion from China or at: trademarks.thomsonreuters.com.

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