Chinese brands are expanding internationally at a rapidly growing pace, according to a new report from Thomson Reuters CompuMark.

April 6, 2018

1 Min Read

Chinese brands are expanding internationally at a rapidly growing pace, according to a new report from Thomson Reuters CompuMark, with international trademark filing increasing 84 percent over the last five years.

In 2013, Chinese companies filed 35,637 international trademarks, an increase 4,700 percent from 1990.

A new report from the research firm now ranks China 7th in the world in foreign trademark filings behind (in order) the U.S., Japan, Germany, Hong Kong, the U.K. and France.

Thomson Reuters CompuMark’s findings indicate a growing trend in the country toward actual IP creation, shifting away from manufacturing and production. Additionally, many Chinese multinationals are starting to acquire western firms and inheriting IP rights and insight, causing many businesses to get more serious about global trademark strategy.

But while trademark applications are on the rise, the concept of foreign trademark protection is still relatively new among many Chinese firms. 

"China's economy has grown so rapidly, laying the foundation for the manufacturing and service industries to evolve into international competitors," says Yun Xiao, deputy secretary general, 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."

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