On May 20, 2011, Nanjing Intermediate People's Court made a decision in favor of U.S. Marriott Worldwide Corporation (hereinafter refers to as Marriott Worldwide) against Lianyungang Mingzhu Wanhao International Hotel Co., Ltd. for trademark infringement and unfair competition.
The plaintiff requested the court to confirm that the “MARRIOTT” and “万豪”(in Chinese text) trademarks are well-known trademarks in hotel industry and alleged that the defendant in using the words of “万豪” in its company name constituted trademark infringement and unfair competition. Marriott Worldwide asked the court to order the defendant to stop using the words “MARRIOTT” and “万豪” in the company name, publish an apology on Legal Daily, pay a total of 500,000 Renminbi yuan for economic losses and reasonable expenses to the plaintiff, as well as bear the costs of litigation.
After examination, the court found the trademark Marriott has some kind reputation among the public and ruled the defendant to change the corporate name, publish a public apology, pay 500,000 Renminbi yuan for compensation, and bear all costs of litigation.
