Chinese name for Penfolds held for ransom by trademark squatters, winemaker says
Chinese name for Penfolds held for ransom by trademark squatters, Australian company says
Australian winemaker Treasury Wine Estates, owner of the popular Penfolds brand, is facing a legal challenge in China over the right to use its Chinese name, in the latest of a series of high-profile trademark disputes there.
A company spokesman said it was fighting an appeal against a Chinese court ruling that recognised its right to use its adopted Chinese name Ben Fu, or "chasing prosperity". Someone else has trademarked the name.
"This appeal is still pending and it will take time for the Chinese legal system to process this matter," Roger Sharp, Treasury's director of corporate affairs, wrote in an e-mail.
Sharp confirmed a report in the Australian Financial Review yesterday regarding legal procedures in China between Penfolds and Li Daozhi, whom the newspaper described as a "notorious trademark squatter".
Li, the founder of wine distributor Panati Wine, based in Wenzhou, Zhejiang , gained prominence for taking on French winemaker Castel Freres in a similar case.
Also known as Daniel Li, he is a Spanish citizen of Chinese origin, legal records show. Another person holding Penfolds trademark rights is Li Shen, who also lives in Spain.
