French fashion brand Lacoste has won 14.8 million Yuan in a trademark dispute against its Chinese rival Cartelo, according to an announcement released by Lacoste recently.
According to the announcement, China’s Beijing Higher People’s Court ruled earlier this year that Lacoste’s crocodile trademark, which looks toward the right, had already achieved well-known status as early as 2006, while Cartelo’s use of the crocodile trademark, which looks to the left, had clear intentions of malice and had already caused market confusion, and therefore constituted the infringement upon the legitimate rights and interests of the trademark owned by Lacoste.
The court ordered Cartelo and its parent company Nanji E-Commerce to cease the infringing activities in China and pay 14.8 million Yuan to Lacoste in compensation.
Initiated in 1927, the Lacoste trademark was authorized for registration in 1933 in France and achieved trademark registration in 1980 within China. Over time, the French brand has gained wide recognition in the Chinese market.
Cartelo was established in Singapore in 1947 and expanded into the Chinese market in 1993. In 2016, the company was acquired by Nanji E-commerce.
The two sides have been locked in trademark disputes since at least 2003.
During the initial stages of the trademark disputes, Lacoste suffered setbacks in lawsuits against Cartelo.
However, Lacoste continued to fight until it secured the final judgment from the Beijing Higher People's Court earlier this year.
Lacoste said in a statement that it welcomed the judgment, adding that “it not only effectively protected the legitimate rights and interests of Lacoste but also demonstrated the firm determination of Chinese judicial authorities to protect intellectual property rights.”
Source:China Intellectual Property
