Manolo Blahnik, the shoe brand made famous by its celebrity fans and regular appearances in TV drama “Sex and the City”; it has won a legal battle in China to use its own name; paving the way for the brand’s expansion across the country.
The company, named after its Spanish founder; said in a statement that the judgement hand down by the Supreme People’s Court of China last month; marking the culmination of a long-running legal battle. Manolo Blahnik has taken numerous actions against Chinese businessman Fang Yuzhou; since 2000 to dispute the validity of trademarks Fang has filed related to the “Manolo Blahnik” name.
“This is a meaningful victory for my uncle, our family and our team and I want to express gratitude to the Supreme People’s Court of China for its thorough; and careful consideration of our long-standing case,” Chief Executive Kristina Blahnik, the niece of founder Manolo Blahnik, said.
In 2020, for example; China’s Qiaodan Sports block from using the silhouette of basketball star Michael Jordan as its logo; though it continues to be able to use its trademarked romanization of the Chinese version of Jordan’s name (Qiaodan). Manolo Blahnik, which has only been available to consumers in China via third-party e-commerce platforms such as Farfetch until now; said it plans to expand its business into mainland China in the near future; though it did not disclose specific plans for market expansion.
-Reuters.
https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/luxury-shoemaker-manolo-blahnik-wins-22-year-trademark-battle-china-2022-07-19/
