Source: China IP News

"Bing Dwen Dwen" (left) is a personified panda. Bing, or ice in Chinese, symbolizes purity and perseverance, matching what the Winter Olympics embodies; Dwen Dwen fits the healthy, sparky and charming image of pandas, in sync with the strong body and tenacity of the athletes and the inspiring Olympic spirit. "Shuey Rhon Rhon" (right) is designed based on a lantern. Shuey has the same pronunciation as the Chinese character snow, naturally meaning unblemishedly white and beautiful, a sure feature of winter sports. Rhon Rhon sends the message of interactions and mutual teaching and harmonious development, reflecting the good vision of creating a more inclusive world and building a community of shared future through Paralympic sports.

"Bing Dwen Dwen", an official mascot for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, and "Shuey Rhon Rhon", an official mascot for the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games, made its public debut at Beijing's Shougang Ice Hockey Arena on September 17, 2019, with 871 days to go before the opening of the 2022 Winter Games.

Two special applicants came to the receiving hall of the Patent Office under the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) one day earlier. They are the officials of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in representation of the Committee to file an application for eight design patents including labels, signs and graphical user interfaces (GUIs) relevant with the mascots of the Games.

"Olympic mascots are intangible properties. Protecting mascots with IP is a must for promoting continuous development and safeguarding the image and reputation of the Games. The application received this time is an important part of the IP protection package for the mascots," said a principal of CNIPA's IP Protection Department, adding that the preparation work for the 2022 Winter Games cannot go without the strong support of IP.

On top of the design patents application filed, the two officials also filed 270 trademark applications, inter alia, seeking protection for the mascots' names in both Chinese and English.

When the emblems of the Winter Games were unveiled, the Committee immediately filed design applications for labels, signs and GUIs of the Olympics emblem 'Winter Dream' and the Paralympics emblem 'Flying High'. In addition to executing its official duties in handling patent application and examination of the torch and mascots of the Games by law, CNIPA aggressively deployed special campaigns in Beijing and Hebei, the locations of the Games, stepping up efforts in striking Olympic IP infringement and counterfeiting, continuously establishing and improving relevant complaint reporting systems and upgrading enforcement efficiency and quality.