A new trademark law was passed by China's legislature on Aug 30, setting specific rules on the management of sound trademarks.

The sound of a computer at startup, the opening song of a TV program or an advertisement jingle are all examples of sounds that can be registered under the new trademark laws.

The United States, the European Union and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region each have laws on sound trademarks.

Wang Jun, professor at Fudan University School of Law, said that many companies will rush to register sound trademarks before the law is put into effect on May 1 next year.

But as the regulations have not come out yet, some of the companies are still holding a wait-and-see attitude.

Wang said that sound trademarks should be original.

He warned some people may try to trademark everyday sounds such as a rooster crowing or a person coughing. So it's important to have clear rules on what sounds can be registered.

China adopted its Trademark Law in 1982 and made amendments in 1993 and 2001.

The law was revised again over the past two years. The new law raised the compensation ceiling for a trademark infringement to 3 million yuan ($500,000), six times the previous limit.

(China Daily 10/06/2013 page8)