Unfair Competition, Designs, Trademarks and Copyrights

City-Yuwa Partners engages in the trademark practice for both domestic and foreign clients. The practice includes, among others, consultation, trademark search, filing for trademark registration, representation in trials before the Patent Office, trial against the denial of trademark registrations, trial for cancellation of trademark registration due to non-use, trial against the decision on trademark registration or trial for the invalidation of trademark registrations, and representation before the Intellectual Property High Court with respect to the decisions by the Patent Office.

City-Yuwa Partners also represents domestic and foreign clients in infringement cases with respect to patents, utility models, design patents, copyright and other intellectual property rights. In this connection, the Unfair Competition Prevention Law is very important to protect the intellectual property which is not protected by patent, trademark or other statutory rights registered at the Patent Office or the Agency for Cultural Affairs.

The Unfair Competition Prevention Law provides various protections such as:

1. protection of famous or well-known names, trade names, trademarks, containers or packages of goods and services, whether they are registered as a trademark or otherwise;
2. protection against the imitation of configuration of another person’s goods;
3. protection against infringement of another person’s trade secrets;
4. protection against infringement of another person’s domain names;
5. protection against misrepresentations of goods or services; and
6. protection against false allegations by a competitor.

In addition, City-Yuwa Partners advise copyright matters not only for arts and entertainment clients, but also for technology clients regarding copyright issues in computer programs and databases.