US Pfizer Sues Chinese Internet Company for PiracyThe No.2 Beijing Municipal Intermediate People's Court held a hearing over a case by Pfizer, the producer of "viagra," based in the United States, against a Chinese company.The US company sued Shenzhen Wanyong Information Network Company for illegally using its brand as part of a Website address. Pfizer said "viagra" was an English word created by the company for its brand product. It has registered the brand in more than 100 countries since 1995, becoming a well-known medicine worldwide. The brand was registered in China on November 28, 1997. However, Pfizer discovered that the Chinese company used "viagra" to register a website "viagra.com.cn" on July 23, 1998 without the permission of Pfizer. The Chinese company argued that "viagra" had not been permitted into the Chinese market yet when it registered the website address. Besides, the website has not been put into public use for various reasons. Also, most Chinese know the medicine as "Weige," the Chinese version of the medicine, so "viagra" was not a well-known brand in the country. The court is expected to make a judgment in a few days. |
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