Five knockoff Disney hotels fined in Shanghai

SHANGHAI - Five knockoff Disney hotels in Shanghai have been fined a total of 100,000 yuan ($15,650) for infringing the company's trademark rights ahead of the opening of the Shanghai Disney Resort.

The Shanghai Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce said on Tuesday that it found the hotels, all in Pudong New District and owned by the Shenzhen Vienna Hotels Group, used the "Disney" trademark on their signs and websites without authorization.

Hoping to cash in on the resort and attract customers, they not only infringed trademark rights but are also suspected of unfair competition, according to the administration.

Lin Haihan, director of its trademark office, said the administration is inspecting other hotels to check for similar cases.

The Shanghai Disney Resort, Disney's sixth resort worldwide, is scheduled to open in the spring of 2016.