公益撤三:我国闲置商标清理的新思考

Cancellation Based on Public Interest:New Thinking on the Cleanup of Idle Trademarks in China

“撤三”制度的存在是为了促使商标注册人将其注册商标进行积极使用,发挥商标功能,避免商标资源被闲置。中国作为采用注册主义的商标申请量大国,基于“私利”的“撤三”已经明显不能满足当下清理闲置商标的需求,“公益撤三”政策的提出恰逢其时。在具体规则设计上,为了应对“公益撤三”的动机不足问题,引导本身即具备公益目的的国有企事业单位作为“公益撤三”主体较为合适。在“公益撤三”资源有限的情况下,应首先对那些容易使商标秩序遭受影响的闲置商标提起撤销申请。同时,要防止“公益撤三”异化,背离政策目的或者削弱政策效果。

The cancellation proceeding on the non-use of trademarks for three years in a row is to encourage trademark registrants to actively use their registered trademarks,give full play to the function of trademarks,and prevent trademark resources from being idle.China,as a country with a large number of trademark applications that adopts registrationism,has clearly failed to meet the current needs of clearing up idle trademarks based on"private interest".In terms of the design of specific rules,in order to deal with the lack of motivation of"public interest cancellation",it is more appropriate to guide state-owned enterprises and institutions that have public interest purposes to be the main body of"public interest cancellation".Under the circumstance of limited resources for"public interest cancellation",the cancellation of those idle trademarks that are likely to affect the trademark order should be filed first.At the same time,it is essential to prevent the alienation of"public interest cancellation"that deviate from the purpose of the policy or weaken the effect of the policy.