Ban on ‘Facebook’ drink

It was a huge blow for Facebook when it was banned in the world’s most populous country, China. However, small as it may be, Facebook has just earned a legal victory over a local food and beverages company in a trademark fight.

[m9ad]

Apparently the company had registered the trade name ‘face book’ in 2011 for categories including food, beverages and snacks. The trademark regulatory body had granted approval to the local company in 2014 despite objections from Facebook. China’s trademarks are very problematic as it follows a “first to file” principle, which leads people to target high-profile foreign brands and register them as their own, leaving the original owners to either buy it back at exorbitant prices or rename their brands.

However, in a victory for Facebook, a court in Beijing has given the ruling Zhongshan Pearl River Beverages should not have been allowed to gain access to the “face book” trademark!