SHANGHAI ¨C In the past two weeks, the Chinese government has granted U.S. President Donald Trump a total of 38 valuable trademarks. They come as tensions between China and the United States have cooled somewhat, leading to suggestions that the award is a poorly concealed quid pro quo designed to reward a president with considerable personal business interests. On Tuesday, Sen. Ben Cardin went so far as to accuse China of ¡°trying to curry favor with the president of the United States.¡±
That sounds plausible. But Chinese officials have other reasons for ensuring that Trump¡¯s trademarks are protected. And currying favor probably isn¡¯t atop the list.
In most countries, obtaining a trademark isn¡¯t frontpage news, even for a president. But China is unique in that it employs a ¡°first to file¡± system requiring no evidence of ownership or prior use. For example, Xintong Tiandi Technology Ltd., a leather goods firm, legally markets iPhone wallets in China because it registered ¡°iPhone¡± for use on leather products in 2007.
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