Bank of China, China Minmetals, internet portal Sohu and even China Investment Corp, the country’s sovereign wealth fund, have been targeted by Chinese trademark pirates overseas, the Financial Times reported. Two Chinese individuals have applied for trademark registration in Canada for the names and logos of more than 60 Chinese firms, including a host of well-known and state-owned companies. Lawyers warned that every significant Chinese company eying overseas expansion faces the risk of being beaten to the trademark by either an opportunist looking to sell the trademark back to the company or someone acting on behalf of a direct competitor. Chinese companies in Hong Kong, the US, Europe and Africa are often targeted, they said. A Munich court is due to rule Thursday on a case in which an ethnic Chinese German allegedly registered Wangzhihe, a Chinese brand of fermented tofu, and sold products under its name.
