The Total Amount Involved in the Case Exceeds 647 Million Yuan, and Antarctic E - commerce is Involved in a Major Trademark Contract Dispute
Antarctic E - commerce recently issued an announcement disclosing the progress of a major trademark licensing contract dispute with Shanghai Xinhe Zhao. The total amount involved in the case between the two parties exceeds 647 million yuan. The relevant case has been accepted by the People's Court of Qingpu District, Shanghai, but the hearing has not yet been held. During the performance of the contract, Antarctic E - commerce believes that Shanghai Xinhe Zhao has committed multiple acts of breach of contract, has issued a notice of termination, and is pursuing compensation. Shanghai Xinhe Zhao initiated the lawsuit first and later changed its claim to 565 million yuan (excluding interest). Antarctic E - commerce filed a separate lawsuit with the claimed amount temporarily calculated at 81.6907 million yuan. The impact of the case on the company's profits is uncertain, and Antarctic E - commerce will actively respond to it.
Quartz Co., Ltd.: Its wholly-owned subsidiary convicted of infringing business secrets and fined RMB 2.7 million
On January 5th, Quartz Co., Ltd. issued an announcement stating that the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Lianyungang Qiangbang Quartz Products Co., Ltd. (Qiangbang), received a criminal judgment from the Intermediate People's Court of Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province. Qiangbang was found guilty of infringing business secrets and was fined RMB 2.7 million. In this case, the Company was the victim. Qiangbang was criminally punished for relevant criminal acts committed before its acquisition by the Company. After the judgment takes effect, the Company will pursue civil liability against the relevant parties in accordance with the relevant clauses of the Equity Transfer Agreement. This criminal judgment is only a first-instance judgment and has not yet taken effect. There is uncertainty regarding the final judgment and subsequent execution of the case. The current operations of the Company and Qiangbang are normal, and the above judgment result will not have a significant adverse impact on the Company's current or future profits.
Singapore to suspend expedited patent and trademark examination procedures starting January 4th
According to the notice, starting from January 4th, 2026, Singapore's Intellectual Property Office (IPOS) will suspend accepting new requests for expedited patent or trademark examinations until further notice. In other words, patent or trademark applications submitted on or after this date with requests for expedited examination under these two programs will no longer be eligible for the current expedited channels.
It is important to note that this adjustment does not affect eligible prior cases that have already entered the process:
For requests for expedited examination submitted to IPOS before January 4th, 2026, as long as they meet the eligibility requirements and applicable conditions stipulated under their respective programs, the examination opinions, progress of substantive examinations, and procedural handling of relevant cases will continue to be processed in accordance with the existing expedited procedures and will not be slowed down or suspended due to this suspension.
The notice does not specify the specific direction, duration, or future alternative mechanisms for this program review. It is reasonable to expect that IPOS is conducting a systematic review of the effectiveness, resource allocation, and alignment with the overall innovation policy of the SG Patents Fast and SG Trade Marks Fast programs to decide whether to revise, integrate, or upgrade the expedited examination pathways.
Before the new plan is introduced, relevant stakeholders who wish to obtain expedited patent grants or trademark registrations in Singapore through the above programs will temporarily lose access to new expedited channels and will have to rely on standard examination procedures or other existing procedural tools. For cases that have been successfully filed and accepted before January 4th, 2026, the parties can still expect the expedited examination schedule based on the original program.
The U.S. ITC Formally Initiates Section 337 Investigation into Screen Protectors, Screen Protection Systems, and Their Components
On January 2, 2026, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) voted to initiate a Section 337 investigation (Investigation No.: 337 - TA - 1474) into certain screen protectors, screen protector systems, and components thereof.
Belkin International, Inc., El Segundo, CA, and Belkin Inc., El Segundo, CA of the United States are listed as named respondents.
The U.S. International Trade Commission will determine the end - date of the investigation within 45 days after the case is docketed. Except when the U.S. Trade Representative overrules the case for policy reasons, the remedial orders issued by the U.S. International Trade Commission in Section 337 cases shall take effect as of the date of issuance and become final 60 days after the date of issuance.
Sources:
[1] The total amount involved in the case exceeds 647 million yuan. Antarctic E-commerce is embroiled in a major trademark contract dispute. [January 6, 2026]. https://iprdaily.cn/news_41404.html
[2] Shiying Co., Ltd.: Its controlled subsidiary was convicted of infringing trade secrets and fined RMB 2.7 million. (January 5, 2026) [January 7, 2026]. https://iprdaily.cn/news_41404.html
[3] Effective January 4, 2026! Singapore Suspends the Accelerated Examination Program for Patents and Trademarks (January 4, 2026) [January 7, 2026]. https://iprdaily.cn/news_41404.html
[4] Latest 337 Development Recently - The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) officially initiated a 337 investigation into screen protectors, screen protection systems, and their components [January 6, 2026]. https://www.iprdaily.cn/news_41399.html.
