Fortune write..
Last week, a blog post by David Gooder, the commissioner for trademarks, announced that trademark applications have “surged to unprecedented levels.” As of June 17, applications are up about 63% from last year, and a growing backlog has doubled the number of filings that are waiting to be processed and examined.
In his post, Gooder said the USPTO is exploring the reasons behind the surge—pointing to an increase in both foreign and domestic filings as well as a rise in e-commerce during the pandemic. The rapid growth of the digital economy and direct-to-consumer companies has meant the creation of a lot more brands, and in turn the demand for trademark filings.
But Josh Gerben, whose law firm Gerben Perrott specializes in trademark law, crunched the numbers and pinpointed what he says is the main contributor to the influx of filings. So far in 2021, 29% of all trademark applications have come from China-based applicants. In 2010, that figure was less than 1%. “It’s the biggest problem to our trademark system that we’ve faced in my career,” says Gerben. “Just the sheer numbers are surprising.”
Read full article: https://fortune.com/2021/07/01/china-us-trademark-applications-uspto/
