“The development of China’s wine industry is like a TV series, but the recent plot has been full of ups and downs.” At the media symposium held by Changyu the day before yesterday, the host started with these words. A confrontation between an enterprise and an industry is taking place in the wine industry, and the internal and external troubles existing in the wine industry are also fully exposed in this confrontation.

Event Replay

The battle over "Caibina" became intense last week. A month ago, the "first intellectual property case in China's wine industry" that lasted for six years finally came to a conclusion, and the "Jie Baina" trademark was ruled to belong to Changyu. After the ruling was issued, 12 companies including Great Wall formed an alliance to appeal again. For a period of time, the two sides have frequently exchanged moves, and the focus has centered on "Is Cabernet a variety or a brand?"

This is not the first time Changyu has faced opposition from its peers. In April 2002, the Trademark Office of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce issued the "Jiebaina" trademark registration certificate to Changyu Company, which was opposed by Great Wall, Dynasty, Weilong and other companies. In July 2002, the State Trademark Office canceled the registered trademark. Changyu was dissatisfied, and the case entered a lengthy administrative review, which triggered the six-year-old Jibaina intellectual property case.

Tip 1: Quote from classics

Changyu: Registered in 1937

Changyu cited the "Technical Specifications for Chinese Grape Winemaking" published by the State Economic and Trade Commission in 2002 ", the appendix lists the grape varieties in Chinese and foreign languages, among which there is no "Cabernet" or "Cabernet" variety. One of its more powerful cards is: On June 28, 1937, with the approval of the Trademark Office of the Ministry of Industry at that time, Changyu Company officially registered the "Jiebaina" trademark.

Alliance: Translated from French

12 wine companies refuted Changyu’s statement. They said that the five-pointed star + Cabernet d'est trademark pattern submitted by Changyu Brewing Company in 1936 did not contain the word "Cabernet". The alliance insists that the word "Cabernet" is translated from the French "Cabernet" and is the grape strain of "Cabernet", the raw material for winemaking.

The national standard does not regulate the variety of raw materials

Yang Qiang, Secretary General of the Wine Expert Committee of the China Food Industry Association

Although production companies must comply with the mandatory regulations formulated by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine. There are national standards for wine, but the national standards set requirements for the quality of wine products, and it is difficult to include all the raw materials. Even if there are relevant regulations, there are so many grape varieties that it is impossible to explain them all.

The lack of regulations has led to controversy

Many grape varieties in our country are imported from abroad, and the various Chinese names are not uniform. It is precisely because of the irregularity of Chinese names that the dispute over "Jie Baina" arose. Establishing a complete and standardized system is the key to preventing similar incidents from happening.

Tip 2: Seek support from the industry

Changyu: four associations support

China Winemaking Industry Association, China Federation of Industrial Economics, China Agricultural Society Grape branch, the Grape and Wine Branch of the Chinese Horticultural Society, and a number of intellectual property experts and lawyers respectively supported Changyu’s position from their respective professional fields.

Alliance: It is difficult for one company to survive

In terms of quantity and areas involved, the 12-enterprise alliance is at a disadvantage. The only industry supporter they cited was the China Food Industry Association. Highlighting the hidden risks of innovation in the wine industry Wang Zuming, Secretary General of the Wine Branch of the China Winemaking Industry Association

This case highlights the hidden risks of innovation exposed due to weak awareness of intellectual property protection. Many companies, especially small businesses that do not have product development capabilities, are more willing to choose counterfeiting and copying famous brands. If things continue like this, it will definitely dampen the enthusiasm of enterprises for innovation. The fundamental issue is to grow good grapes

For current wine companies, the most fundamental issue is to grow good grapes and strengthen the competitiveness of the company and brand in terms of raw materials.

Tip Three: Guide Public Opinion

Changyu: Emphasis on 70 Years of Originality

From the beginning to the end, Changyu has always emphasized the expenditure on "Jie Baina" over the past 70 years. The hard work of Changyu people means that it is the culmination of the hard work of several generations of Changyu people. This move played a positive role in guiding public sentiment.

Alliance: refers to Changyu’s monopoly

In the 7.16 statement issued by 12 companies, Changyu’s registered trademark "Jiebaina" was accused of being a monopoly: "'Jiebaina' Trademark registration is completely a malicious registration act that monopolizes public resources in the industry and will damage the international reputation of China’s wine industry.” Although the attitude is strong, the supporting evidence is relatively weak. It is foolish to care about this. There is no need for the domestic wine industry to care about this issue. With the development of information technology, people have more and more ways to obtain knowledge. Young people, in particular, are very receptive and cognitively receptive to foreign wines. In this context, "Cabernet" has become synonymous with domestic wine and is no longer attractive to this main consumer group. Great Wall and other companies must fight for the "Jiebaina" trademark. It is foolish.

At present, domestic brands occupy an absolutely dominant position among the alcoholic products in shopping malls and supermarkets. Foreign brands have made great moves in China in recent years. Although they have not achieved outstanding results, they have been waiting for the opportunity. Such quarrels will definitely give them opportunities to take advantage of the situation.

The debate over whether the two brothers should fight against the outside world first or settle down the inside first is a difficult problem faced by the Chinese wine industry. If the lack of innovation is the internal worry of China's wine industry, then foreign troubles are also coming one after another. According to the latest statistics from Guangzhou Customs, in the first two months of 2008, 3.272 million liters of wine were imported through Guangdong ports, an increase of 42.3% over the same period last year. It is foreseeable that foreign wines will enter the country in large quantities. The Chinese market is becoming an important part of the international wine market. While we are delighted, we also see another fact: there are few brands in the Chinese wine industry with high international reputation and reputation, and we are saddened by the lack of brand competitiveness. It is reported that several well-known foreign wine brands have also launched "Cabernet" wine. Regardless of the final ownership of "Cabarnet", Sima Zhao's passion for foreign wine brands is obvious. At present, my country's wine competition has moved towards brand competition. Every company is trying to build its own brand. In the process of brand building, enterprises should build their own unique brands so that other enterprises cannot imitate them, so as to enhance their core competitiveness in the face of the invasion of foreign brands. The brothers are jealous of each other and stay outside the wall to resist their insults. The protracted "Jiebaina" dispute is a battle between brothers. If all companies can work together to promote intellectual property protection and create a fair competitive environment, it will be possible to enhance the overall competitiveness of China's wine industry.