HFG @ MARQUES Annual Spring Team Meeting in Amsterdam

Reinout van Malenstein and Crystal Yulan Zhang attended the MARQUES annual team meeting held in Amsterdam on March 7th-8th.

The mission statement of MARQUES, the European association representing the interests of brand owners since 1986, is to educate and promote the professional development of brand owners in the selection, management, protection and exploitation of their trademarks within a global economy. 

Furthermore, MARQUES wants to create a forum for the free exchange of ideas and information and to provide an effective platform for the representation of their interests.

Reinout is Co-Chair of the China Team. Together with the vice-chair Hens de Konning-Ghijsen, he gave a presentation on where China stands on IP anno 2024. He highlighted the need to focus on advocacy on behalf of the European corporate members through the EU, and on the need for a transparent Chinese IP litigation system.

China is the factory of the world, and brand owners face unique challenges there, including IP infringement, domain name piracy and unprecedented growth in trademark filings. Meanwhile, Chinese brand owners are rapidly expanding internationally. The China Team works with officials in both regions, and other international partners, to develop best practices, share information and support brand owners whether they are based in China or Europe.

Crystal is team member of the anti-counterfeiting and parallel trade team. The mission of this team is to champion brand owners in the protection and enforcement of their rights against counterfeits and unlawful parallel imports within a global economy. Another aim of this team is to create a forum for the free exchange of ideas and mutual experience amongst trademark practitioners both in-house and in private practice.