Affected by the financial crisis, in order to protect the development
of coastal processing industry, the Supreme People’s Court basically established
the idea that OEM does not constitute trademark infringement in the “PRETUL”
case in 2014, but in the “HONDA” case in 2019, the court changed its previous
attitude and made a contrary judgment in this case, which constitutes
trademark infringement. The Supreme People’s Court held that the practices of
Chinese enterprises involved in the case were first OEM and trademark use, and
there was also the possibility of causing confusion among the relevant public.
Based on the retrial decision of the Supreme People’s Court, this paper makes
a reflection and discussion, and makes a legal analysis from three aspects:
whether OEM belongs to the use of trademarks, the expanded interpretation of
the relevant public boundaries, and the principle of possibility of confusion. It is
believed that whether OEM constitutes trademark infringement, we should also
consider whether it violates the obligation of review and loyalty, whether it has
the possibility of confusion, and whether it constitutes a malicious overseas rush
to register trademarks, This provides a theoretical basis for judicial practice and
customs administrative law enforcement.