Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) issued a warning on Wednesday after several names of Chinese Olympic gold medalists including Yang Qian, Chen Meng and Quan Hongchan were registered as trademarks by several companies.
The COC said the applications should be withdrawn if they did not get the athletes or their guardians’ approval. Athletes and guardians of underage athletes have the right to pursue legal liabilities of relevant torts.
The trademarks of “Quan Hongchan” were registered to apply in at least 19 categories such as cosmetics, instant food, clothing and shoes. On the day when the Chinese teen won the Olympic gold after delivering three perfect 10 dives on August 5, her name was already registered as a trademark.
Even nicknames of Quan Hongchan – “Xing ge” were also registered for at least 50 categories. This nickname was made by Chinese netizens after a reporter asked the gold-medal winner after the game what her personality was, “Xing ge” in Chinese. The teen asked, “who is xing ge?”
Name of China sprint star Su Bingtian was also registered as early as 2012 for clothing and wedding dresses. Other “Su Bingtian” trademarks for gym equipment and advertisement sales were rejected.
The name of “Yang Qian” who won China the first gold medal during the Tokyo Olympics was registered for alcohol and button and zips trademarks.
Among them, the name of swimmer Wang Shun who won a gold medal in the men’s 200m individual medley was registered at least 42 times.
According to provisions of trademark registrations issued by State Administration for Market Regulation, those applicants or trademark agencies that have applied for trademarks out of malicious intentions will be given warnings and fines. Trademark agencies that have committed a crime will be investigated for criminal responsibility.
Gold medalist Quan Hongchan has her hair ruffled by a member of the coaching staff as she leaves the pool. Photo: AFP
