Honda wins motorcycle trademark case in China

Shanghai, July 13 (Gasgoo.com) A district court in Beijing ruled last Wednesday to support Honda Motor Co.'s claim that major private motorcycle maker Chongqing Lifan Industry Group Co. pirated the Japanese company's logo, Beijing Times reported.

Honda had sued the Chinese motorcycle company to seek a cancellation of its registration of its trademark (轰达) that is pronounced and transliterated as "Hongda" -- the English transliteration is used as part of the logo for the vehicle's exports.

Honda previously filed a complaint with a Chinese government committee that oversees trademarks, but the committee brushed off the claim, saying the trademarks are distinguishable in Chinese characters, as Honda is 本田 in Chinese characters pronounced as “Bentian”, and Hongda is 轰达).

The Beijing court ruling acknowledged that "Hongda" is confusing, and ordered the government committee to reexamine the issue.

Despite its qualms over piracy issues, Honda has been boosting investment in China hoping to strengthen its about 10% share in the highly competitive motorcycle market. Honda began making motorcycles in China in 1982.

Chongqing Lifan, set up in 1992 by entrepreneur and former college professor Yin Mingshan, began exporting motorcycles to Japan in 2001 and holds a large share of the market in Vietnam.