FOOTWEAR

On 12 October 2018, the EU’s Official Journal published Commission Regulation 2018/1513 imposing new restrictions on the use of 33 substances known to cause cancer and reproductive health problems (so-called CMR substances). The restrictions set out in Commission Regulation 2018/1513 will be incorporated into the REACH Regulation, in its Annex XVII. More

On 30 August 2018, the Official Journal published Regulations 2018/1207, 2018/1208 and 2018/1209, which each classifies the articles described below. Hong Kong traders or their agents importing these goods will need to pay the respective customs duties applicable for each article as described. More

The mainland’s footwear market increasing steadily. The total value of mainland footwear sales in 2017 was RMB381.9 billion, a 5.5% year-on-year increase. There are three different kinds of businesses in mainland’s footwear market: imported brands, Sino-foreign joint venture enterprises and domestic brands. In order to stay competitive, mainland footwear companies are beginning to make greater use of innovative production techniques. More

Earlier this summer, the Court of Justice of the European Union (the CJEU) handed down a judgment in response to a request for a preliminary ruling from the District Court of The Hague in the Netherlands. The case is likely to be interest to Hong Kong sellers of footwear, as it concerns a trademark consisting of the colour red, applied to the sole of a shoe (Case C-163/16, Christian Louboutin and Christian Louboutin SAS v Van Haren Schoenen BV). More