PUMA wins trademark infringement case in Wenzhou

Recently the Wenzhou Intermediate People's Court held a trial on the case in which Puma AG Rudolf Dassler Sport sued Rui'an Yincheng Supermarket Co. Ltd. for trademark infringement. The court ruled that the defendant should immediately stop the act of infringement and compensate RMB 55,000 to the plaintiff.

According to Puma AG, since 1991, it has registered the word mark "PUMA," the figurative mark of a puma, and the mark "PUMA and device" in China, covering sports shoes in class 25. In July 2007, Puma AG found that shoes, which bore representations similar to Puma's registered trademark, were sold in Yincheng Supermarket. Then Puma AG instituted a proceeding before the Wenzhou Intermediate People's Court, requesting the defendant to stop the trademark infringement and make compensation.

The court held that the device of an animal on sports shoes sold by the defendant was nearly identical with the plaintiff's registered trademark. Thus the act of the defendant constituted infringement upon the plaintiff's exclusive right to use the registered trademarks. The court ordered that the defendant should immediately stop the infringement and compensate RMB 55,000 to the plaintiff.