Zhuhai Oak Cask Trading Co., Ltd. and Xiamen Golden Universal Food Co., Ltd. were discovered to sell the counterfeit wine bearing the famous mark “Hennessy” in the market. As a result, the two companies were sued for trademark infringement by Societe Jas Hennessy & Co., the French famous brewery. Shanghai No.2 Intermediate People's Court (the “Court”) has rendered a judgment in the first instance in favor of the Plaintiff on November 29, 2005 ordering the two Defendants to cease the infringement, to jointly pay RMB300, 000 to the Plaintiff as compensation for the damage, and to publish the announcement in XINMIN EVENING NEWS for eliminating the bad influence.
In 1980 and 1996, Societe Jas Hennessy & Co. acquired the Chinese trademark registrations for the marks “Hennessy + device” and “Hen-nessy” respectively. In 1990, the international trademark “Hen-nessy” successfully extended to China for protection in respect of the wine products.
