Maotai is definitely not the only one running on the road of "national" reputation. In recent years, Wuliangye has released "National Five Liquids", Luzhou Laojiao has launched "Guojiao 1573", Fenjiu has created "Guozang Fenjiu", Xifeng Liquor has kept up with "Guodian Fengxiang", and Shuijingfang is also working hard to apply for "Guoshuijing" and "Guoshuijing". "Guo Shuifang"... The entire liquor industry has a strong attachment to the "Guo" brand name. "National Liquor Moutai" passed the preliminary review, which immediately triggered the already sensitive nerves of the industry.
The power of the Sichuan Wine Legion
The fastest to respond was the famous Sichuan Wine Legion.
On July 31, Wuliangye, Luzhou Laojiao, Shuijingfang, Jiannanchun, Shede and many other liquor companies, the main force in the Sichuan liquor camp, held a liquor golden triangle seminar in Chengdu. According to media reports, the theme of this closed-door meeting was to discuss Moutai’s rush to register the “national liquor” trademark.
"National liquor" should refer to the variety of liquor. "It is inappropriate to give 'national liquor' to a company or a product." Tang Qiao, chairman of Wuliangye, said publicly.
"After all, the publicity period is three months." The relevant person in charge of Wuliangye said, "People across the country are opposed to Moutai's application for the 'National Liquor' trademark."
Whether people across the country are It is unknown whether they all oppose it, but what is certain is that the Sichuan wine camp has reached an agreement.
“When it comes to ‘national wine’, Luzhou Laojiao, which has more than 400 years of experience, has more historical accumulation and application capital.” Luzhou Laojiao publicly stated its position.
“The 1573 National Treasure Cellars Group is the cellar group with the longest continuous use, the most complete preservation and the largest scale in China. It is known as the 'No. 1 Cellar in China', so Luzhou Laojiao has very A rare and rare resource," Zhang Liang, chairman of Luzhou Laojiao, said in an interview with China Economic Weekly.
Although Luzhou Laojiao has made it clear that it does not want to comment too much on the "national wine controversy", "Guojiao 1573" has been pushed to the forefront. Luzhou Laojiao has also euphemistically stated many times that Luzhou Laojiao is more "senior".
Fenjiu's old and new grudges
The first shot to counterattack Moutai was the Fenjiu Group, which had been arguing with Moutai over the "true ownership of the gold medal at the 1915 Panama Exposition".
Liu Jing'an, director of Fenjiu Group Cultural Center, said in an interview with China Economic Weekly that on the morning of August 7, Fenjiu Group had submitted a trademark objection application at the acceptance hall of the National Trademark Office. "We request the National Trademark Office not to approve the registration of the four opposed 'National Liquor Moutai' trademarks of Moutai Group."
This objection letter was reviewed and reviewed by Fenjiu Group for a week, and finally formed into a 6,800-word "reasonable" "Evidence-Based" long article, and passed the comprehensive assessment by the staff of the three major departments of Fenjiu Group: Legal Department, Cultural Research Center Department, and Marketing Department.
“We believe that the Trademark Office’s preliminary review and announcement of the opposed trademark violates the relevant provisions of the ‘Guo’ Character Standard.” Liu Jing’an said, “Judging from the responsibilities issued by the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, its There is no right or responsibility to grant the honorary title of 'National Liquor' to a certain company's alcoholic products."
"I believe that only those that meet legal requirements and market rules will be recognized by ordinary consumers. "Talent is the national wine." Li Qiuxi, chairman of Fenjiu Group, repeatedly emphasized the importance of "legality" in an interview with China Economic Weekly. But whether the counterattack will be effective and whether Moutai will pass the review, "I can't predict." "I will not take a position on the definition and standards of national liquor." But "anyone can meet the definitions and standards."
Angry Du Kang
The person with the most intense "anti-Mao" attitude was Du Kang. In the objection submitted by Du Kang, Maotai’s “ten crimes” were detailed.
“We hope that Moutai will return to rational competition, so we recommend that the State Administration for Industry and Commerce reject Moutai’s application request.” Miao Guojun, general manager of sales at Dukang, questioned in an interview with China Economic Weekly that a trademark is a Private rights, after approval and registration, can enjoy exclusive rights and can be used as intangible assets of the enterprise for licensing, transfer, trading, investment and financing, etc.
"If it is given to Moutai, then who can guarantee that the quality of Moutai will remain the same as before? Who can guarantee that Moutai will not use the trademark 'National Liquor Moutai' on wine and beer? Is this reasonable?"
"We firmly oppose any company's attempt to register the 'National Liquor' trademark, which will have a negative impact on the entire industry. We call on every liquor company to abide by national laws and regulations, compete fairly in the market economy, and rely on their own comprehensive strength to win the market recognition and win the reputation of consumers,” said Miao Guojun.
Why is Du Kang, who has nothing to do with the "national" brand, so angry? There are doubts that Du Kang is using this matter to hype up and expand his brand influence. Miao Guojun explained: "Dukang's high-end wine is Dukang, the ancestor of wine, and there is no 'national' brand series of products. Whether it is an open letter or a letter of objection, Dukang has not issued any content mentioning Dukang, because it uses this opportunity to hype and promote Dukang It’s not our purpose.”
Furujing: The only supporter
Amid the collective “anti-Mao” sentiment, Gujing’s “support” is particularly eye-catching.
"I agree very much. Because as our country's trademark, our national enterprises should be protected. Chinese liquor is the quintessence of our country. I dare say that only liquor can truly compete with international brands." In an interview with China Economic Weekly, Liang Jinhui, general manager of Anhui Gujing Gong Liquor Co., Ltd., clearly endorsed Moutai as the "national liquor".
“As the leader of our industry, Moutai represents the entire Chinese liquor industry. I think the decision made by the State Administration for Industry and Commerce is the right one.” Liang Jinhui believes, “To maintain the national brand, everyone should stick together for warmth.”
Liang Jinhui said, "Who is the national wine? I don't care. I think there is no need to argue about the concept of national wine. We should look at it from the perspective of the interests of the nation and the development of the Chinese wine industry. This question. ”
Who does the Panama gold medal belong to?
In 1915, China, which was in political turmoil, was invited to participate in the first Panama-Pacific International Exposition. This was considered to be the first historic event of unprecedented scale in China’s history to showcase its economic level to the world. Since then, Chinese products have gone abroad and gone global.
According to the introduction of Fenjiu Group, "In 1915, Shanxi Fenjiu won the only first-class medal for Chinese liquor brands at the Panama International Exposition." But the well-known story is that Moutai became famous all over the world because of the 1915 Panama International Exposition. At this exhibition, Moutai was ignored due to its poor packaging. It was only after a staff member smashed the bottle angrily that the aroma of the wine leaked out, and finally conquered the judges and won the gold medal. Interestingly, this magical gold medal appears in the promotional discourse of many liquor companies. Wuliangye Group, Luzhou Laojiao Group, Shanxi Fenjiu Group and Shaanxi Xifeng Liquor Group all claim to have won this award.
Li Qiuxi, chairman of Fenjiu Group, publicly criticized: "Many well-known companies claiming that their own brand of wine won the gold medal at the 1915 Panama International Exposition is completely false propaganda." Li Qiuxi emphasized, "Fenjiu is the only "We know that telling the truth may make some brother companies unhappy, but China's wine culture must not be 'joked'."
In addition, the same claim was made at this exhibition. Other winners include Henan Xinyang Maojian, Fujian Tanyang Kungfu Black Tea and Yantai Changyu Group, which brews red wine.