French retail giant Carrefour has filed a lawsuit against aChinese supermarket chain in East China for infringing upon the Carrefourtrademark, reports China Daily.
Carrefour has accused Anhui Jiale Supermarket Chain Co Ltdand its subsidiaries in Fuyang of illegally using the logo 'Jialefu,'the Chinese version of 'Carrefour,' in their company name andbusiness activities.
The French retailer said Jiale supermarkets used a blue logosimilar to Carrefour's on their shop signs, price tags, receipts, and shoppingbags, causing consumer confusion.
Carrefour has requested The Hefei IntermediatePeople's Court to order the Jiale Company to change its logo and pay Carrefour6m yuan (US$882,164) in compensation.
Jiale claimed it has not infringed on Carrefour's trademark,since the company changed its name from 'Jialefu' to'Jiale' before the lawsuit was filed.
Jiale also said that Carrefour's Chinese logo'Jialefu' literally means 'happy family' in Chinese, and itlacks the identifying features of a distinctive trademark.
The court hearing, which started on Aug 18, is still underway.
Carrefour discovered the alleged trademark breach when itconducted market research in Fuyang city, East China's Anhui province. The firmwas astonished to find that it already operated160 stores in that city.
Since Carrefour entered the Chinese mainland market in 1995,it has set up 157 stores and plans to increase the number to 185 by the end ofthis year.
To date, Jiale has opened more than 160 supermarkets underits name in Fuyang city, most of which are scattered in nearby towns andcountryside.
Jiale, established in 2002, was initially registered asAnhui Fuyang Jialefu Business and Commerce Co Ltd. The company changed its namefrom 'Jialefu' to 'Jiale' in August 2009.
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