The American luxury fashion company Ralph Lauren has won a series of legal cases regarding the infringement of its trademark rights.
The cases were adjudicated by the Shanghai Intellectual Property (IP) Court, marking significant progress by China in the field of intellectual property rights protection, Ralph Lauren China announced.
The lawsuits were filed against Shanghai Ruifa Apparel Co. and Qingyuan Huahao Zhibai Leather Goods and Apparel Co., Ltd., which had been licensed by Aichi Leather Goods Co., Ltd.
The court recognised that Ralph Lauren’s trademarks include the product names “POLO,” “POLO BY RALPH LAUREN,” and “POLO RALPH LAUREN.” These products are particularly popular in the Chinese market and among Chinese consumers.
Based on the evidence reviewed, the court ruled that the unauthorised use of these trademarks by the Chinese companies could mislead consumers about the true origin of the products and create the impression of a hypothetical collaboration between the Chinese companies and Ralph Lauren’s official trademarks.
The Chinese companies were fined a total of 20 million yuan ($2.61 million) in compensation to Ralph Lauren.
This amount significantly exceeded the existing cap on compensation payments, making the case one of the highest monetary awards for trademark infringement.
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Source: ANA-MPA
