Puma wins lawsuit against supermarkets selling fake sneakers in China

February 20, 2008

Puma AG Rudolf Dassler Sport, a German sportswear maker, has won a lawsuit against Rui’an Yincheng supermarket Co., Ltd for infringing its trademark right. Wenzhou Municipal Intermediate People’s Court of east China’s Zhejiang Province ordered the defendant to pay 55,000 Yuan ($7,300) in compensation. Puma AG, one of the world’s largest sports apparel producers, registered the trademark of “Puma” in 1999 in China. In the first half of 2007, the German company launched a comprehensive investigation across Wenzhou city, finding out that several supermarkets and stores were illegally selling sports shoes bearing logos similar to “Puma”. Puma AG then filed a lawsuit against 14 supermarkets involving RMB 1.6 million ($213,333). Several claims had been resolved after the two sides reached agreements before court hearings. Those irreconcilable claims would be arranged for court trial one by one. 　　 Puma AG detected that Yincheng Supermarket was selling sneakers bearing similar logos to Puma’s on July 9, 2007. The plaintiff held the opinion that those sports shoes were made to mislead consumers. Following half-an-hour mediation permitted by court, the parties held different opinions on the amount of settlement compensation and the court thereby concluded the above-mentioned ruling in the end.