Fake coffee trademark revoked in China
Fake coffee trademark revoked in China
The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Trade's Trademark Review and Adjudication Board has decided to cancel the "Buon Ma Thuot Coffee" trademark registered by Guangzhou Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Co.
Under Chinese Trademark Law, if the affected party is dissatisfied with the decision, it has the opportunity to initiate legal proceedings at the People's Court of First Instance in Beijing within 30 days of receiving the decision, noted intellectual property law firm Pham&Associates.
In 2011, when the Dak Lak provincial authorities discovered that "Buon Ma Thuot Coffee" had been registered as a trademark in China, they requested the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association to initiate legal proceedings and reclaim their brand.
Buon Ma Thuot is famous as the capital of Vietnamese coffee production.
The association, in cooperation with Pham&Associates, has since then sought cancellation of Chinese trademark registrations of the name of the Vietnamese geographical region "Buon Ma Thuot".
The name is already protected, the Phap Luat TPHCM (HCM City Law) newspaper said, adding that the Chinese company's illegal use of the geographical name would easily mislead customers about the product's origin.
vietnamnews
