Heineken in trademark dispute with Chinese sewing company
(FT)
Updated: 2013-12-23

Global beer brewer Heineken has accused a Chinese sewing company of trademark infringement.

The Dutch company is claiming that Wujiang Xili Machinery Factory has been pirating its famous name and logo and demonstrated it at a trade fair in Shanghai.

Earlier this year, China’s State Administration for Industry and Commerce ruled that Wujiang Xili acted in “bad faith” in applying to register two Heineken names. However, the company, which has fewer than 50 employees, successfully registered a third version, which the brewer has petitioned to have cancelled. The case comes at a time when China’s trademark law is in the spotlight with significant changes recently given the green light.

Under the new laws, which will go into effect in May next year, courts can issue statutory damages of up to three million yuan ($490,000), for trademark infringement, six times the current maximum.



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