[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi] Trademark applications bearing the name of the late Chinese doctor 'Li Wenliang,' who first warned about the risk of COVID-19 spread in China, were withdrawn one after another due to trademark violations.
According to the Global Times on the 28th, the intellectual property authority in Changsha, China, notified the Chinese company 'Puchang E-commerce,' which applied for a trademark using Li Wenliang's name, to cancel the application. Upon receiving the notice, Puchang E-commerce immediately issued an apology regarding the trademark violation and announced the withdrawal of the trademark application.
The company drew criticism after applying for trademarks such as 'Li Wenliang' and 'Wenliang' for a series of its products including medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, and instant food, as the nationwide mourning for Li Wenliang intensified on February 7, the day he passed away. On Chinese social media, there was a surge of public condemnation accusing the company of maliciously exploiting the name of the late doctor Li Wenliang and damaging his honor.
Hong Dongpan, a lawyer at the Shanghai-based law firm AllBright Law Offices, said, "Such trademark applications violate social morals and have a negative social impact," adding, "Administrative measures will be taken against trademark applications made with malicious intent."
Li Wenliang was the first to alert about the spread of a new virus in Wuhan, China, but was instead accused of spreading rumors and punished by the police. He later contracted COVID-19 while treating patients and recently passed away. Public opinion in China predominantly regards him as a brave and conscientious doctor.
Meanwhile, recently in China, trademark applications using the names of Wuhan’s COVID-19 dedicated hospitals 'Leishenshan' and 'Huoshenshan' have surged, prompting government authorities to begin controlling 600 related trademark applications.
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