The N logo is synonymous with New Balance running shoes and is
pretty much instantly recognised by consumers around the world and
has mass appeal across generations.
New Balance Athletics applied to register the NB logo in the US
in the 1970's and filed in China in 2003 and obtained Chinese
registered protection in 2005. It has though taken New Balance
Athletics, Inc 15 years to convince the Beijing High Court that the
N logo should be classes a famous product decoration in China. As
readers will know, this isn't unusual for China given the
various rounds of appeals and time it takes for cases to be
decided.
Above: The N logo and New Barlun branding
This long running saga between New Balance and New Barlun
(China) Co Ltd has been ongoing since 2004 when the original
Chinese application was filed by New Barlun; this is only one of a
handful of fights which New Balance has had with Chinese footwear
companies. This case underwent opposition but was
