Olympic trademark boom and bust

Updated: 2012-08-27 16:51

(chinadaily.com.cn)

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Trademarks composed of the names of famous Olympic gold medalists have long been registered by cash-seeking professionals for years, Beijing Morning Post reported.

According to the paper, in the information query system of the industrial and commercial department, the number of trademarks related to famous Chinese track and filed athlete Liu Xiang's names reached 48, Jeremy Lin, the popular NBA basketball star of Chinese decent 299, and that of former NBA star Yao Ming reached 110. Moreover, Yao Riyue, which is similar to Yao Ming in Chinese characters were also registered.

The names of Sun Yang and Ye Shiwen, who both won two gold medals in swimming in the London Olympics, have also become popular trademarks people want to register. However, their applications haven't been confirmed yet.

The cost for the registration of a trademark is thousands of yuan, and can be used on about ten commodities or services of the same kind. However, in the market, the transfer of some trademarks can reach tens of thousands of yuan or even millions, which drives many people to make money by registering trademarks, according to the paper.

But, this situation won't last long, the paper said, as the industrial and commercial department lobbyists are now working on a new rule, which will put people, enterprises or agencies who grab the trademarks with malicious intents on a blacklist.

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