China fines firms for using BMW-like trademark

Tuesday, 3 January 2017 00:00 -     - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

dft-9-9

 

Reuters: A court in Shanghai ordered two Chinese firms and the founder of one of them to pay automaker BMW 3 million yuan ($ 431,617.41) for registering trademarks similar to that of the German firm, the Shanghai Daily reported.

The ruling is the latest win for a large foreign firm in China, a sign that courts are taking trademark infringement more seriously in a country dogged with fakes of everything from clothing brands to entire shops.

Zhou Leqin, one of the accused, registered Deguo Baoma Group (Int’l) Holdings Ltd., which translates as German BMW Group (Int’l) Holdings Ltd., in China in 2008, the paper reported the Shanghai Intellectual Property Court as saying.

With the company, Zhou then bought and registered the trademark ‘BMN’, with a logo similar to BMW’s, it added.

BMW, Deguo Baoma Group, Chuangjia and Zhou Leqin could not be immediately reached for comment.

Fashion firm Chuangjia, the second firm fined, then used the trademark on products including clothes, shoes and bags, changing the logo over the years to more closely resemble BMW’s.

The accused infringed BMW’s trademarks registered in China by taking advantage of its reputation, the paper reported the court saying.

In early December, China’s highest court ruled in favour of basketball star Michael Jordan in a long-running trademark case relating to a local sportswear firm using the Chinese version of his name, overturning earlier rulings against the athlete.

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.

COMMENTS

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.