The Wall Street
Journal article linked below highlights the continuing peril in
ignoring the Chinese market in the early stages of brand
development. Briefly, Donald Trump was forced to engage in
protracted and costly legal proceedings in order to register the
TRUMP brand for real estate agency services. As is common, a
Chinese national previously registered the TRUMP brand, almost
surely in anticipation that someday the real Donald Trump would
come along and be forced to pay dearly for the right to use his own
name. Donald being Donald, he opted to fight rather than pay.
However most trademark owners have neither the resources nor the
will to fight such a battle.
While China might seem a distant market early in the effort to
build an international brand, the cost to register today is
exponentially less than the cost to reclaim your brand from an
enterprising Chinese citizen tomorrow.
