Il ne suffit pas d’avoir une marque mondialement connue pour être protégé en Chine. De nombreuses entreprises européennes, malgré leur notoriété internationale, ont été contraintes de renoncer à l’usage de leur propre nom sur le marché chinois.
- Tesla (before its official entry into China) had to negotiate with a private individual who had already registered the trademark in 2006.
- Jordan (Nike) saw its Chinese name “乔丹” used for over 10 years by an unrelated Chinese company. The Chinese Supreme Court only recognized the infringement in 2020.
- Apple had to pay 60 million dollars to Proview to buy back the rights to the name “iPad” in China.
- Penfolds (Australian wine) temporarily lost its exclusive rights to its Chinese name “奔富” due to a prolonged legal dispute.
- Château Lafite Rothschild had to fight to prohibit the use of similar names like “拉菲传奇” used by Chinese competitors.
These cases illustrate the importance of proactively registering your trademark in China, starting from the earliest stages of export or brand visibility in the market.
