On September 26, 2024, the renowned international intellectual property media Managing Intellectual Property (MIP) officially announced the winners of the 2024 Managing IP Asia-Pacific Awards. GEN Law Firm's high-profile trademark infringement case has been honored as the Impact Case of the Year. The award-winning case, Panpan Door Co v Sichuan Xinpenghui Door, was handled by Mr. Steve Zhao, Ms. Pei Lyu, and Mr. Mehang Jiao from GEN Law Firm.
In this case, "Panpan," a famous anti-theft door brand under the global door industry giant ASSA ABLOY, had been recognized as a well-known trademark since 1999. The defendant, Zhou, knowingly registered the "Xin Panpan" trademark and conducted large-scale infringement activities despite being aware of the "Panpan" brand's reputation. The defendant also engaged in false advertising, commercial defamation, and other unfair competition practices. Considering the egregious nature of the case, the Supreme Court ultimately applied quadruple punitive damages, supporting a record-breaking compensation of 100.65 million yuan.
This case is the first trademark infringement and unfair competition case in China to exceed 100 million yuan in damages after applying punitive damages, and it is also one of the highest compensation cases of its kind, setting a benchmark. The case attracted widespread attention due to its involvement of well-known trademarks, punitive damages, high compensation, and the application of obstruction of evidence. After the first instance, it was included in the "2021 Blue Book on Intellectual Property Judicial Protection in Jiangsu Courts." Following the second instance, it received extensive coverage from major websites such as Sohu and Sina, as well as numerous public accounts, garnering high attention from the public media and legal practitioners. It was subsequently selected as one of the 50 typical intellectual property cases of Chinese courts in 2023 by the Supreme Court, one of the top ten cases of Jiangsu High Court in 2023, and one of the top ten typical cases of intellectual property judicial protection of Jiangsu High Court in 2023. It also won the Outstanding Judicial Case Award in Intellectual Property at the 4th Golden Line Awards in 2023.
About the Managing IP Awards
As an authoritative rating agency in the field of intellectual property, the Managing IP Awards has entered its 19th year. The program covers multiple intellectual property areas and spans over 50 jurisdictions. The selection process is rigorous and meticulous. The research team not only reviews the work data of participating law firms but also consults public records. They focus on cases that have had a significant impact on client interests or the development of intellectual property law over the past year.
It is worth noting that award winners are not limited to active participants. Through independent research, the research team may also nominate outstanding institutions or individuals. The selection also considers candidates' contributions to public welfare and social responsibility in the field of intellectual property. This comprehensive evaluation system ensures the credibility of the Managing IP Awards, making it an important standard for measuring the strength of intellectual property service institutions.
