South China Morning Post
HONGKONG, TUESDAY, MAY 30,1995
Million yuan award in China piracy case
A Beijing court has handed down what state media call China’s first million-yuan ( about HK$931,000) judgment in an intellectual property infringement case.
The court ruled in favour of the firm that had patented a mineral water machine.
The judgment was the third major anti-piracy settlement issued by Beijing’s main trial court in a fortnight, after rulings in favour of United States publishing giants Walt Disney and Prentice Hall and Harcourt Brace.
The Beijing Intermediate People’s court ordered Tangshan Fuhao Co to pay a million yuan in compensation to Sun Yingui, whose Bailong mineral water dispenser is one of China’s most popular consumer products.
The heavily advertised device can reputedly transform tap water into refreshing and healthful mineral water.
The million-yuan compensation for lost sales was the biggest award in a case of intellectual property rights infringement yet in China, Xinhua (the New China News Agency) reported.
The court ordered the company in the northern city of Tangshan to pay the majority of legal costs arising from Mr. Sun’s two- year- old lawsuit, Xinhua reported.
No amount was given for Mr. Sun’s legal expenses.
The ruling was issued on May 26.
Tangshan Fuhao was ordered to halt production immediately and hand over the compensation within 10 days.
On May 18th the Beijing court’s new intellectual property chamber ordered three local firms to pay US entertainment giant Walt Disney US$27,360 in damages for unauthorized use of some of its most valuable copyrighted characters, including Micky Mouse, Cinderella, Peter Pan and Snow White.
The announcement of damages came nine months after the court ruled that Disney’s copyrights had been violated by Beijing Children’ Publishing Press, Beijing Publishing Press and New China Book Store Distribution Centre.
In another important case concluded on May 25, the special chamber approved a settlement in favour of Prentice Hall and Harcourt Brace.
A suit had been launched last year against Anhui Sciience and Technology Press for copyright infringement.
