Manolo Blahnik wins 22-year Chinese trademark battle
20/07/2022
China theoretically grants exclusive rights to trademark usage to the first-to-file registrant, meaning Chinese businessman Fang Yuzhou’s 1999 application had impeded efforts by the Manolo Blahnik brand to leverage its name and assets there ever since.
The case was ultimately settled by the Supreme People’s Court of China in Beijing, a result which Mr Blahnik called “remarkable”. After much lobbying, the court granted the brand a rare right to appeal the case’s August 2001 dismissal by the China Trade Mark Office back in December 2020. The retrial was heard in January of this year and the final judgement, which invalidated Mr Fang's application, announced earlier this month.
“We are truly humbled and grateful for the support we have received in China and internationally, both from within the fashion industry and beyond,” the Spanish-born designer said. “This generous assistance has been a significant contributing factor to this successful result.”
Chief executive Kristina Blahnik, a niece of Mr Blahnik's, told the Financial Times that the company would now be “gently walking” into making its direct market entry in China, aiming to do so by the second half of 2023.
Image: Manolo Blahnik via Instagram.
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