- BEIJING (Sapa-AFP) -- A Beijing
businessman has filed an application to trademark the Chinese name of American
President George Bush to help market his disposable nappies, state media
said on Friday.
-
- The applicant, surnamed Guo, filed an application with
the General Administration for Industry and Commerce of China, stating
he wants to use the two-character phrase "Bushi" as a trademark,
the Beijing News reported.
-
- "I hit upon the idea by chance," said Guo.
"Back in my hometown in Henan province, the pronunciation of 'Bushi'
sounds exactly like 'I'm wet'."
-
- Government officials are not amused.
-
- One official from the State Trademark Bureau, surnamed
Liu, said the application would very likely be rejected "because it
may bring about bad social impact if a leader's name is registered as a
trademark".
-
- He said it could take up to 16 months for a final decision
to be made.
-
- China's Trademark Law bans words or patterns that can
cause "harmful effects on ethics or society" to be used as trademarks.
-
- Liu said the authority had recently turned down an application
by a costume company which applied to use the Chinese translation of "Lewinsky"
as a fashion brand, referring to Monica Lewinsky who had an affair with
former United States president Bill Clinton.
-
- ©2004. All rights strictly reserved.
-
- http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=29&art_id=qw1076052960172B252&set_id=1
|
