G2000

G2000 (Generation 2000; zh-tp|t=縱橫二千|p= zòng héng èr qiān) is a clothing brand featuring upscale and urban-career styles for men and women, founded by Michael Tien in 1980.

The brand originally catered to clothing sizes suitable for Asian consumers.There are 24 stores in Hong Kong and also located in:

* Bahrain
* China
* Hong Kong
* Indonesia
* Jordan
* Macau
* Malaysia
* Philippines
* Saudi Arabia
* Singapore
* Taiwan
* Thailand
* United Arab Emirates

Tien also founded another clothing retailer U2 Clothing at the same time and operates under the G2000 Apparel Limited.

G2000 is also a software product for Risk Management and Claims Management by this company.

Trademark Infringement Case in China

A small company based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, in the People's Republic of China, filed a Chinese trademark application for a hand-written logo of "2000" covering products including garment accessories such as gloves, scarves, and socks.

The company, 杭州市西湖区一科技咨询服务部, successfully registered the trademark in 1997. The "2000" trademark -- registration number 1094814 -- was transferred to an individual, a Mr Zhao (赵), in 2005.

In 2006-2007, Mr Zhao sued three local department stores as well as G2000 in the Hangzhou Intermediate People's Court for infringing his "2000" trademark. In January 2008, the Hangzhou court issued a decision against the defendants. The stores were ordered to stop infringing, and G2000 was ordered to pay damages of RMB 20 million (approx. USD 2.8 million), a record amount for trademark infringement in China.

G2000 has appealed the decision to the Zhejiang Higher People's Court, also in Hangzhou. Chinese court judgments are generally not disclosed to the public and the information regarding the case is based on news reports.

G2000 considers the decision unfair because "2000" should not be deemed infringed, and G2000 registered and used the "G2000" trademark in China since 1992. G2000 has unsuccessfully sought to cancel the "2000" trademark since December 2000 after receiving a cease and desist letter from Mr Zhao's lawyer in November 2000.

References

* [http://www.g2000.com.hk G2000 web site]
* Source:Pinyin translated with [http://www.cozychinese.com/convert/ CozyChinese.COM]
* [http://www.chinacourt.org/public/detail.php?id=282112&k_title Chinese-language news report on trademark infringement case]