Eat the Chinese market, the two big crocodile brands look forward to and be expensive

French Lacoste Shirt Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "The French Crocodile") sued the Singapore Crocodile International Agency Pte Ltd ("Singapore Crocodile") and two companies authorized to produce its products on the 20th The court ordered the other party to compensate 1 million yuan in the name of trademark infringement.

Yang Guosheng, an attorney representing the French crocodile, said that on the night before the trial was held, the parties were negotiating on reconciliation, but it is not clear enough because the French crocodile hopes that the Singapore Crocodile can recognize its infringement and thus reduce the amount of compensation.

Yang Guosheng stated that yesterday’s media reported that the failure of reconciliation did not have reliable sources. In fact, it could not exclude the possibility of reconciliation between the two parties.

The cause of the case In October 2003, French crocodile found in Shanghai, Chengdu, Xi'an, etc. The crocodile-authorized two companies in Singapore produced sneakers and T-shirts, socks and other products using crocodile graphic logo, and its crocodile graphics are the same as French crocodile The graphic registered trademarks that are legally owned by the category products are the same and the colors are the same.

Although the Singapore crocodile insists that its products are packed with the letters of the crocodile heading to the right, there is a significant difference from the crocodile heading to the left of the French crocodile goods, and the sales counters in the mall are also obviously different. There is no possibility of confusing consumers. However, the French crocodile still believes that the Singapore crocodile is allegedly infringing. Therefore, in addition to claiming claims, it also has to issue a statement to eliminate the impact.

The industry believes that the French crocodile's lawsuit may be the last leg of its allegiance to Asia and the establishment of a "crocodile" dominance. Previously, in the case of Hong Kong crocodile and Zhejiang crocodile, the last case was "harmony." Although the Singapore Crocodile, now dealing with it, is the biggest competitor, the possibility of reconciliation remains high.

It is understood that the French crocodile had a precedent for reconciliation with the Singapore crocodile: As early as the 1960s, the French crocodile joined Japan's crocodile squadron who registered a trademark first. After three years of litigation, the two parties reached a settlement and reached an agreement in 1983. : In Malaysia, India, Brunei, Taiwan, and Singapore, each other agrees with their respective trademarks and cooperates with other countries and regions in the world.

At the time, however, the French crocodile did not disclose its trademark registration in mainland China in 1980. It was not until 2003 that it publicly announced that it had opened its first store in Shanghai in 1995. However, the Singapore crocodile entered the Mainland China market two years before it and applied for registration of a series of trademarks. However, this registration application has been delayed for 12 years, because the French crocodile never gave up on blocking it.

In addition, in other parts of the country, the French crocodile's lawsuit has been step by step. Faced with the aggressiveness of the French crocodile, the Singapore Crocodile attempted to defend itself in March 2002. It appealed to the Shanghai No. 2 Intermediate People's Court that the French crocodile infringed the copyright of its crocodile graphic script and claimed a US$1 fee. However, the case passed the final ruling of the Shanghai High Court and rejected the lawsuit.

In addition to the "litigation battle," the two "crocodiles" also played a "news war." On January 5, 2006, the Singapore Crocodile held a press briefing in Beijing to express its determination to win and not lose in the Chinese market. It also stated that the French crocodile sued China National Trade and Industry Commission on November 28, 2005. Drive us out of China and monopolize the market." Just five days later, the French crocodile agent held a news briefing in China and bluntly stated that as the sole registrant of the Crocodile trademark on Chinese clothing and other goods, we welcome legitimate competition as long as competitors use trademarks that are not similar to French crocodile. It is the question of “who drives away” at all.

Yang Guosheng’s lawyer said that the two sides may still negotiate in the near future. After all, both parties have the intention of reconciliation.