A famous Chinese bean curd brand, Wangzhihe, has won its lawsuit
against a German supermarket for trademark infringement, according
to general manager of the Wangzhihe group on Monday.
A local court in Munich, where the case was heard on August 8,
ruled last Wednesday that the OKAI company should stop using the
Wangzhihe trademark logo in Germany and the brand OKAI registered
there should be revoked, said Wang Jiahuai, general manager of
Wangzhihe.
Beijing-based Wangzhihe, started in 1678 and featured
Beijing-style pungent bean curd, noticed in July 2006 that its
brand had been registered by OKAI on November 21, 2005. As it
wanted to expand into the German market it filed a lawsuit against
OKAI in a court in Munich in January 2007.
"Our success shows that Chinese companies could and should
safeguard their lawful rights in foreign countries using the law,"
Wang Jiahuai said.
During the lawsuit, Wangzhihe applied for the registration of
its brand in Germany. The brand has been registered in over 40
countries and regions worldwide.
"The brand has been handed down through generations," said Wang
Jiahuai before the result was known, "we would allow nobody to
steal it."
Chinese companies are learning to protect their patent rights
amid disputes. The latest report from the World Intellectual
Property Organization shows that China has become the world's third
largest patent rights applicant. Moreover, China is the fourth
largest nation, after the United States, Japan and the Republic of
Korea, in terms of patent applications approved.
(Xinhua News Agency November 20, 2007)
