Following the official launch of Temu in Japan on July 1st, recently, the Pinduoduo cross-border e-commerce platform Temu has officially launched its Korean site, accelerating the expansion of the Asian market.

The overseas version of Pinduoduo has gone crazy!

Like Tiktok's overseas version TikTok, Pinduoduo's overseas version also has a new name - Temu.

The name Temu, taken from "Team Up, Price Down," is a direct translation of the promotional slogan "Pinduoduo Buys Cheaper" in the domestic version of Pinduoduo.

As we all know, for a long time, the largest user group of Pinduoduo came from economically underdeveloped regions. Even though more and more people are "really popular" with it now, there are still many middle-class elites who do not like Pinduoduo.

But until Pinduoduo entered the American market, many Americans found that they had not escaped this "true fragrance" law and were deeply immersed in the joy of picking up wool, unable to extricate themselves.

After its official launch in North America in September last year, Temu went viral. As of now, Temu has entered 27 countries and regions, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States.

The hidden worries behind the relentless driving all the way

In recent years, domestic traffic has peaked, coupled with support from the central government's overseas policies, triggering a new wave of Chinese enterprises going overseas. Pinduoduo took advantage of this trend to launch Temu and skillfully played the "killer mace" of "low price".

However, as an e-commerce platform, if it continues to "squeeze" merchants, leading to the withdrawal of brands and high-quality merchants, it will ultimately harm consumers and the platform itself. Only by balancing the interests of all parties can a virtuous ecosystem be formed.

Nowadays, it is the trend for brands to go global! But don't forget the trademark layout. So what are the ways to apply for trademarks overseas?

What are the ways to apply for trademarks overseas

1. Madrid Trademark Registration

The so-called Madrid International Application is an international trademark registration system established based on the provisions of the Madrid Agreement on International Registration of Trademarks signed in 1891 and the relevant protocols of the Madrid Agreement on International Registration of Trademarks passed in 1989. As of the end of 2021, Madrid's members have covered 125 countries and can basically cover major global economies. The specific management agency is the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization.

This method of application has a lower cost. Applicants can submit applications in their country of origin and cover multiple designated countries at once (the target country must be a member of the Madrid Union), but it requires the country of origin to apply for basic registration or basic registration, and the basic application or basic registration rights are stable. After the Madrid trademark registration was approved for protection, most national authorities did not issue a separate trademark registration certificate.

2. Single country registration

The so-called single country application refers to submitting trademark applications to the competent authorities of a specific country separately.

This method does not require basic application or registration in the country of origin, and the national competent authority for trademark application will issue a separate trademark registration certificate. But generally speaking, compared to Madrid trademark registration applications, the cost of a single country trademark application may be higher. However, non member countries and regions of the Madrid Union can only apply through this method.

3. EU Trademark Registration

The advantage of registering an "EU trademark" through this method is that the cost is relatively low, and the process is relatively simple for the applicant. Once approved, it is protected in all EU member states. Currently, the EU has 27 member states, namely Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Malta Cyprus, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria.

4. African Intellectual Property Organization Trademark Registration

The African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) is a coalition of 17 member countries formed by countries with the official language of "French" to protect intellectual property rights. The African Intellectual Property Organization has an "Intellectual Property Office" in "Cameroon", which oversees trademark affairs of its member countries. Trademark registration is protected in all member states after approval. Due to the fact that some member countries of the African Intellectual Property Organization do not have their own trademark systems, it is difficult to achieve "single country registration". Currently, it is best to register through the African Intellectual Property Organization.

17 member countries of the African Intellectual Property Organization: Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Congo, Chad, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, C ô te d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Costa Rica, Equatorial Guinea, and Comoros.

The importance of trademark rights for enterprises is self-evident. Having overseas trademark rights is a passport for enterprises to enter the international market. If they enter the market without obtaining trademark rights, they may face trademark infringement disputes and pay economic costs, and even have to be delisted. Therefore, based on the trademark registration cycle in different countries, enterprises can plan brand registration before product production/sales, and plan overseas trademark applications six months or even two years in advance.

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