Combining products with place names as trademarks is a means for businesses to attract attention. When protecting rights, the obligee needs to properly evaluate the scope of trademark protection and comprehensively consider the current market effect.
1. "Xiaoyaozhen Hula Soup" and "Tongguan Chinese hamburger" are both facing the problem of trademark rights protection. Following the trademark of "Xiaoyao Town Hulatang", "Tongguan Chinese hamburger" has the same experience. The "Tongguan Roujiamo" Association claims that all shops that have used the trademark "Tongguan Roujiamo" are infringement. Need to unify everyone, pay 2400 yuan membership fee every year to join the association and unify everyone. Many netizens said that the trademark rights protection incident of "Tongguan Chinese hamburger" is very similar to the previous incident of "Xiaoyao Town Hulatang" and should be stopped.
Second, trademark protection is protected by law, but extensive rights protection has affected the market. In these two trademark rights protection incidents, many people don't understand where the boundary of trademark protection lies. Undeniably, "Xiaoyao Town" and "Tongguan Chinese hamburger" are both registered, so they are protected by law. No matter what kind of trademark it is, as long as it is legally owned, it will be protected by relevant rights. However, this large-scale behavior of safeguarding rights has caused many businesses to dismantle signboards overnight, which has brought a very realistic impact on market operation and caused certain damage to brand reputation.
Third, is it possible to protect products and add place names in the future? Nowadays, it is common for many businesses to regard geographical indications as special trademarks. You can use local names to enhance the reputation of your products. This is the advantage of place names plus products, but it is also a double-edged sword, which may constitute infringement. However, more people and shops should be considered behind intellectual property rights, and there is still a long way to go to optimize this work.
To sum up, when taking trademarks, businesses must check whether their products or services are registered as landmark trademarks. Only in this way can we avoid infringement. Collective trademarks are different from ordinary trademarks that we usually see. When legitimate information is involved, we must handle this behavior with caution. If you don't know what to do, you can consult a professional to avoid the trouble of being sued.