Britney fame claims hit wrong note with court
By Wang Qingchu |
January 7, 2012, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
BRITNEY Spears has had a registered trademark lawsuit rejected by a Beijing court.
The American teen-pop icon asked the Trademark Appeal Board under the State Administration for Industry and Commerce to remove the trademark "Britney" and its Chinese translation from its registry, calling it an infringement of her name.
The suit said Shenzhen Wanfuda Trade Co Ltd registered the trademark without the plaintiff's consent to use the image associated with the star to seek economic gain, infringing her rights, Beijing Times reported yesterday.
Spears said her name has huge popularity among Chinese consumers and iconic status in the entertainment and fashion industries.
Using her name for a line of watches gave the impression that the products were related to her, it was claimed.
The Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court found Shenzhen Wanfuda Trade filed the Britney trademark in August 2001 and was granted approval in January 2004.
The court rejected Spears' claim, saying her name could not be considered a well-known term before the company filed its application for the trademark, because the evidence she provided could not prove she was famous in China before then.
It is not yet known if she will appeal.
Spears has registered the names of herself and her son for clothing and other products in the United States.
She is one of the most successful US performers, with more than 140 million records sold worldwide. Her hits include "Baby One More Time" and "Oops!... I Did It Again."
The American teen-pop icon asked the Trademark Appeal Board under the State Administration for Industry and Commerce to remove the trademark "Britney" and its Chinese translation from its registry, calling it an infringement of her name.
The suit said Shenzhen Wanfuda Trade Co Ltd registered the trademark without the plaintiff's consent to use the image associated with the star to seek economic gain, infringing her rights, Beijing Times reported yesterday.
Spears said her name has huge popularity among Chinese consumers and iconic status in the entertainment and fashion industries.
Using her name for a line of watches gave the impression that the products were related to her, it was claimed.
The Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court found Shenzhen Wanfuda Trade filed the Britney trademark in August 2001 and was granted approval in January 2004.
The court rejected Spears' claim, saying her name could not be considered a well-known term before the company filed its application for the trademark, because the evidence she provided could not prove she was famous in China before then.
It is not yet known if she will appeal.
Spears has registered the names of herself and her son for clothing and other products in the United States.
She is one of the most successful US performers, with more than 140 million records sold worldwide. Her hits include "Baby One More Time" and "Oops!... I Did It Again."
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