A Hangzhou court ruled Friday that Chinese beverage company Wahaha is the sole owner of the drinks brand created with its French joint venture partner Danone, the South China Morning Post reported. Danone had filed two applications in the mid-1990s to gain control of the Wahaha brand, but was rejected. Friday's court decision upheld those decisions and also ruled that since the French company had not taken legal action within two years of the earlier rejection notices, it had lost the right to sue. Danone, which owns a 51% stake in the joint venture, has claimed that it loses US$25 million per month as Wahaha uses the jointly developed brand to sell products outside the partnership, and may appeal the court's decision.
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