“HDS” is the abbreviation for “Hot Delivery Service”, meaning the fast delivery service based on punctual departure, arrival and picking of goods. “SHDS” is the abbreviation for “Super Hot Delivery Service”. Since the start of this century, fast delivery service had emerged in near-sea shipping line between China and Japan. “HDS” and “SHDS” started to be used to refer to the delivery service ever since and gradually became accepted as a common term used by all parties.
However a Japanese-invested company secretly filed an application of trademark registration regarding “HDS” and ”SHDS” with the Trademark Bureau of the State Administration of Industry and Commerce, in an attempt to take the commonly used term for its own. After the Trademark Bureau accepted its application, the company claimed that it had obtained the exclusive right to the two terms and the other companies were banned from using them. Jinjiang Shipping is one of the major companies in the industry, whose business would be severely affected if not allowed to use “HDS “ and ”SHDS”. Therefore, Mr. Yang was engaged to file a trademark opposition with the Trademark Bureau.
Mr. Yang guided and assisted Jinjiang Shipping in the collection of evidence proving that a large number of shipping operators with itself included had long used “HDS” as a common term and that the government, industry association and the media had acknowledged it as the common term for fast delivery service. Evidence was also provided to prove that foreign government and media also accept ‘HDS’ as a common term. Therefore, the “HDS” as applied was a common term used in the industry as an abbreviation of “Hot Delivery Service”. The application shall be denied on the ground that it lacked distinctiveness. Mr. Yang further pointed out in the statement of trademark opposition that the registration category within which the trademark application was filed was the same as “HDS” which was used as a common term. If the trademark was successfully registered and used, the interest of the whole shipping industry as well as the opponent would be damaged. Since the application of “SHDS” is similar to “HDS”, it shall also be denied.
After hearing the case, Trademark Bureau held that “HDS” was the abbreviation of “Hot Delivery Service”, used by the shipping industry as a common term. The trademark under application therefore lacked distinctiveness. According to Clause 2 Article 11 and Article 33 of the Trademark Law of the People’s Republic of China, the application was denied. But the application of “SHSD” was sustained, which might be because this case was examined by another official and relied on the result of examination on “HDS”.
Jinjiang Shipping therefore engaged Mr. Yang to file a review application with the Trademark Review Committee , in which it was emphasized that “HDS” was a common term lacking distinctiveness and whose application was denied. “SHDS” was similar to “HDS”. If allowed to be registered, the operators in the industry would be faced with tremendous legal barriers and suffer great loss. Therefore, it shall be denied. The Trademark Review Committee held that “SHDS” was used in shipping business, connoting that the service had a common term and could not distinguish the source of the service provided. The application was therefore denied.
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杨春宝一级律师简介
杨春宝一级律师，大成上海高级合伙人、资本市场部主任、国资基金研究中心主任，大成中国区私募基金专业带头人、科技与文化法律研究中心联合牵头人。执业30余年，长期从事私募基金、投融资、并购重组法律服务，尤其对对赌研究颇深且具有非常丰富的实战经验，并专注于金融机构股权投资业务。2004年起多次入选The Legal 500"私募基金"和"公司与商业"等境内外各类律师榜单，代理的中国法院首例适用外国法律审理外国公司的董事损害小股东权益纠纷案入选上海高院发布的《上海法院域外法查明典型案例》和威科先行"要案头条"。入选上海涉外法律人才库、上海市司法局鼎新法治人才库、上海国有企业改制法律顾问团，具有上市公司独立董事任职资格，系多家知名高校的兼职教授或兼职研究生导师及上海市商务委跨国经营人才培训班讲师。出版《私募股权投资基金风险防控操作实务》等16本投融资法律专著。了解更多常见法律问题
行业通用简称为何不能注册为商标？
【概念规则】商标的基本功能在于识别商品或服务来源，申请标识若属于核定服务所在行业的通用名称、通用简称或仅直接表示服务特点，则通常不具备固有显著性，不能使相关公众将其与特定经营者建立稳定联系。通用名称一旦被个别主体独占，会妨碍同行业经营者正常描述和开展业务，因此商标审查以相关公众的普遍认知和行业使用状况为核心，考察申请标识是否已成为某类服务的共同称谓，而非仅看申请人主观设计或使用意图。即使标识由字母缩写构成，只要在行业中约定俗成地指代特定服务，也可能被认定为通用名称。【案件事实】本案中，HDS被解释为Hot Delivery Service，即准点离港、到港和提货的快速交货服务，SHDS被解释为Super Hot Delivery Service，二者自本世纪初在中日近海航线快速交货服务中出现并逐步被各方接受为通用称谓。代理人指导锦江航运收集大量航运经营者长期使用HDS的证据，并证明政府、行业协会和媒体均承认其为快速交货服务的通用术语，还提交域外政府与媒体接受该称谓的材料。这些事实说明申请标识并非指示特定来源，而是行业描述性共同用语，商标局据此认定HDS缺乏显著性并驳回其申请。【实务指引】办理此类案件应围绕相关公众认知构建证据链，重点收集同业经营者使用时间与范围、行业协会文件、媒体报道、政府或公共机构表述、合同单证和业务宣传材料，并注意域外使用证据的辅助作用。对字母缩写还应证明其全称、对应服务内容及行业约定俗成过程，避免仅提交申请人自身使用材料。若关联标识审查结果不一致，应及时在复审中说明两标识的近似关系、共同通用属性及注册后对全行业造成的妨碍，围绕显著性缺失和公共利益损害展开论证，并持续补强证据以应对不同审查人员可能作出的不同判断。
本案如何证明HDS属于通用名称？
【概念规则】证明某一标识属于通用名称，通常不是考察申请人是否独创，而是看相关公众是否已将该标识作为某类商品或服务的共同称谓。商标审查和异议程序中，需要从行业使用习惯、政府与行业组织态度、媒体传播、同业经营者认知以及消费者或服务对象理解等角度，形成能够相互印证的证据体系。对于外文缩写，还应说明其对应全称、中文含义、使用场景及在专业领域中的固定指代关系。若证据显示大量同业主体长期、公开、持续地以该标识描述同类服务，且没有将其作为单一来源标记，则其缺乏显著性的事实基础较为充分。【案件事实】文章载明，HDS是Hot Delivery Service的缩写，含义为基于准点离港、到港和提货的快速交货服务，SHDS则是Super Hot Delivery Service的缩写。自本世纪初，中日近海航线出现快速交货服务后，HDS与SHDS逐渐被用于指称该类服务，并成为各方接受的通用术语。代理人指导锦江航运收集证据，证明包括锦江航运在内的大量航运经营者长期使用HDS，政府、行业协会和媒体也承认其为快速交货服务的通用称谓，同时还提供外国政府和媒体接受HDS为通用术语的材料。商标局经审理认定HDS是航运业通用简称，申请商标缺乏显著性，遂驳回其申请。【实务指引】实务中应尽早固定证据，避免等到异议或复审阶段才临时收集。可围绕同业使用制作时间轴，整理业务单证、运价表、服务说明、行业会议资料、协会证明、新闻报道及公开数据库信息，并说明证据形成于申请日前后，以反映申请时的相关公众认知。对域外证据应注明来源、形成背景和与国内行业认知的关联，不能只提交零散材料。针对审查机关可能关注的使用主体数量、持续时间和地域范围，应分类归纳并制作证据目录，突出其共同指向通用称谓而非来源识别。若初审结果与关联标识不一致，应在复审中系统比对标识含义、使用领域和行业认知，避免仅重复异议阶段观点而缺乏针对性补强。
SHDS复审为何也被驳回？
【概念规则】商标复审并非简单重复初审程序，而是围绕申请标识是否具备显著性、是否属于通用名称、是否损害行业公共利益等核心争点重新展开论证。对于与已被认定缺乏显著性的标识高度关联的申请，复审中需要说明二者在含义、使用方式、行业认知和注册类别上的共通性，避免审查结果割裂。若申请标识同样被同业用于描述特定服务，相关公众难以将其作为来源标记，则仍可能因缺乏显著性被驳回。复审请求应针对初审机关已认定的事实和关联标识审查结果，提出有证据支撑的整体性法律主张。【案件事实】本案中，商标局虽驳回HDS申请，却核准了SHDS申请，文章指出这可能是因为该案由另一审查人员办理并依赖HDS审查结果。锦江航运遂委托代理人向商标评审委员会申请复审，强调HDS是缺乏显著性的通用术语且申请已被驳回，SHDS与HDS相似，若允许注册，同行业经营者将面临巨大法律障碍并遭受重大损失。评审委员会审理后认定，SHDS在航运业务中使用，含义指向一种服务通用称谓，不能区分服务来源，因此驳回其申请。该结果说明关联标识的通用属性需要在复审中整体说明。【实务指引】遇到关联商标审查结论不一致时，应抓住复审窗口，围绕标识本身含义和行业使用事实重新组织证据，而不是仅主张初审结果矛盾。应重点说明两标识的共同核心部分、同一服务类别、相同使用场景及同业经营者的实际认知，并提交SHDS在航运业务中作为通用称谓使用的材料，证明其同样不能发挥来源识别功能。同时要评估注册后可能造成的行业障碍和竞争损害，将公共利益纳入论证。对审查人员不同导致的结论差异，应以证据和法律原则回应，通过时间轴、对照表和证据目录增强说服力，并在复审请求中明确请求撤销初审结论的具体理由和事实依据。
以上内容仅供参考，不构成法律意见。如需专业法律服务，请联系杨春宝一级律师：chambers.yang@dentons.cn
