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Chinese brands are flocking to the Korean market. According to the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Monday, the number of Chinese trademark applications filed in Korea grew more than five times over the past five years from 220 in 2003 to 1,129 in 2007. The growth rate is nearly four times higher than that of overall foreign trademark applications, which increased 1.2 times during the same period.
Of the 3,870 Chinese trademarks applied for here over the past five years, 25.5 percent were registered in English -- using either Chinese pronunciations, like Haier and Tsinghua, or coined names like Lenovo and TCL. Only 7.2 percent were registered in Chinese characters, including Wuliangye (çéÕÝäû), Dongfeng (ÔÔù¦), and Hongtashan (ûõ÷²ß£).
The KIPO said that the increase in Chinese trademark registrations is attributable to Chinese firms' confidence in their technologies as well as the Chinese government's policy of promoting "Brand China" and strengthening intellectual property rights of Chinese businesses.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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