China cracks down on Olympic trademark infringements

BEIJING - China's intellectual property regulator on Monday said it has rejected more than 400 improper trademark registration applications, many of which are related to Bing Dwen Dwen, the mascot for the Beijing Winter Olympics, and Chinese Olympic skier Gu Ailing.

The National Intellectual Property Administration said in a notice that it has rejected 429 applications and declared 43 trademarks including those involving the mascot and Gu invalid.

Clad in a full-body spacesuit-like icy shell, the panda mascot Bing Dwen Dwen has become a smash hit, especially after the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games.

Gu achieved increasing popularity after her gold medal victory in the women's freestyle skiing big-air event on Feb 8.

Since 2019, a few individuals and enterprises have attempted to maliciously use the reputation of the Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic mascots and athletes to apply for trademarks.

Such behavior not only harmed Olympic athletes' rights and interests but also caused an adverse social impact, the administration said.

China has launched a campaign to give strong intellectual property protection for the Olympic symbols, including emblems, mascots, and players. The efforts to fight malicious trademark registrations will intensify, and those who infringe trademarks involving Olympic symbols will be punished, said the administration.