Trademark Protection in the Digital Environment - Landscape of Chinese E-Commerce Market
Chang Tsi & Partners
We are a leading full-service Chinese law firm with a strong reputation in intellectual property and litigation.
The key players are and the key categories that drive China's massive e-commerce market:
The Top 5 platforms, Taobao, JD, Pinduoduo, Douyin (TikTokin China), and Kuaishou dominate the market, each with unique strengths. For example, Taobao has over 1 billion registered users and accounts for nearly half of sales; PDD characterized by low-priced goods; while Douyin (TikTok) leverages short videos and live streaming.
•Taobao as the most senior player in e-commerce achieved over 7 trillion RMB sales in 2024, with over 1 billion registered users.
•JD.com generate sales surpassing 3 trillion RMB last year, focusing on electronics and appliances.
•the rising star Pinduoduo has its sales exceeded 2.5 trillion RMB, characterized by low-priced goods.
•driven by short videos and live streaming, Douyin (TikTok) e-commerce expects sales of over 1.5 trillion RMB.
•Kuaishou e-commerce targets sales exceeding 500 billion RMB, primarily through live streaming.
As the Chinese e-commerce market continues to expand, so too does the prevalence of internet infringements. The major types and battlefield of infringement are as follow:
1.Infringement on E-commerce Platforms： E-commerce platforms are a primary battleground for intellectual property (IP) infringements.
2.Cybersquatting and Phishing: Registering domain names identical or similar to famous brands (known as "cybersquatting"), creating fraudulent official websites for phishing, or directly selling counterfeit products.
3.Website & Search Engine Infringement: Trademark infringers may purchase keyword ads containing famous brand trademarks on search engines.