With the slogan “Drink Wanglaoji if you are afraid of getting angry”, “Wanglaoji” has become a household name for herbal tea. However, the trademark and brand duel between several companies related to "Wong Lao Kat" in 2012 made Wong Lo Kat quite angry. On April 11, 2011, the Jiaduobao Group, which owns the red can "Wanglaoji", held a press conference and announced that it was collecting evidence and asked the Chengdu Industrial and Commercial Bureau Trademark Section and Law Enforcement Bureau for "the unique packaging and decoration rights of the well-known products of 'Wanglaoji'" "Infringed", reported GPHL's unfair competition behavior.
This statement originated from the recent announcement by GPHL that it would authorize the use of the "Wanglaoji" trademark to Guangdong Guangliang Industrial Co., Ltd., mainly for non-herbal tea products.
In fact, at the just-concluded 2011 Chengdu Spring Food and Wine Fair, two "Wanglaoji" brand products had already appeared on Guangliang Industrial's booth, including "Wanglaoji" Guyuan Porridge and Lotus seed and mung bean refreshing health porridge, all have red outer packaging with yellow "Wanglaoji" characters. The packaging indicates that the product is authorized by Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Group and distributed by Guangliang Industrial.
Jiaduobao stated that it learned from the trademark registration inquiry of the Industrial and Commercial Bureau that the trademark registration applied by Guangzhou Pharmaceutical did not include the porridge product category, and the "Wanglaoji" porridge products were registered by Wang Fusheng, a natural person. Guangzhou Pharmaceutical authorized the porridge product without owning the trademark, which is suspected of being illegal. Moreover, although the two newly launched "Wanglaoji" products by Guangliang Industrial are not herbal teas, their appearance is very similar to the red canned "Wanglaoji" herbal tea produced by Jiaduobao, and they are suspected of infringement. Guangzhou Pharmaceutical stated that the production and sales of herbal tea beverages authorized by Jiaduobao by Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Group did not conflict with the non-herbal tea business authorized by Guangliang Industrial.
In addition, the disputes between the two parties are still escalating. GPHL announced on March 4, 2012 that it had signed an agreement with Guangzhou Baiyunshan Hutchison Traditional Chinese Medicine Co., Ltd. Baiyunshan Hutchison handed over its Baiyunshan herbal tea series products to Wanglaoji Pharmaceutical as its general agent. After the cooperation between the two parties, Guangzhou Pharmaceutical will include Baiyunshan herbal tea in the sales channels of "Wanglaoji" herbal tea. The industry generally believes that Wong Lo Kat’s “red-green battle” will escalate into a “red-green-white” melee.
Subsequently, Wang Laoji, the direct descendant of "Wanglaoji", publicly expressed her support for Jiaduobao, bringing another force to the surface in the "Wanglaoji" trademark battle. Such a statement made the industry believe that the situation of Wong Lo Kat's "red-green battle" has reversed, and the future direction has become more confusing.
According to information, Wang Jianyi is the fifth-generation great-great-granddaughter of Wang Lao Kat founder Wang Lao Kat. In 1993, she became the executive director of the family business Hong Kong Wang Lao Kat International Co., Ltd. and is the holder of the overseas trademark of "Wang Lao Kat". In November 2004, Tongxing Pharmaceutical announced that it would invest in Wanglaoji Pharmaceutical. GPHL's shareholding in Wonglaoji dropped from 94.28% to 48.0456%, making it the largest shareholder alongside Tongxing. The remaining 3.907% is held by natural persons. In March 2011, Wang Jianyi began to serve as the chairman of Tongxing Pharmaceutical. In January 2012, she succeeded Shi Shaobin as the chairman of Wonglaoji Pharmaceutical.
According to sources, Jiaduobao hopes to use Wang Jianyi to put pressure on Guangzhou Pharmaceutical and transfer the "Wanglaoji" trademark to Wanglaoji Pharmaceutical, a joint venture between Tongxing Pharmaceutical and Guangzhou Pharmaceutical, so that it can continue to use it. Wong Lo Kat” rights and interests.
In fact, the “red-green battle” between GPHL and Jiaduobao has been going on for a long time. In November 2012, GPHL held a press conference and stated that its "Wanglaoji" trademark was valued at 108.015 billion yuan, making it the number one brand in China. Subsequently, Jiaduobao, the manufacturer of the red canned "Wanglaoji", issued a clarification statement on its official website, saying that the red canned Wonglaoji is produced and sold by Jiaduobao, a mainland company of Hong Kong Hongdao (Group), and has no affiliation with Guangzhou Pharmaceutical. The story behind the packaging of Wong Lo Kat has moved to the front.
According to data, Wong Lo Kat was founded by Wang Zebang in 1830. After liberation, it was divided into two. The Wong Lao Kat trademark in mainland China was classified as a state-owned enterprise, while the "Wang Lao Kat" trademark in other countries and regions, including Hong Kong, China "The brand is still passed down by Wang Zebang's descendants. On February 12, 1997, GPHL registered and applied for the "Wanglaoji" trademark. One day later, GPHL signed a trademark licensing contract with Hong Kong Hongdao Group. Hongdao has obtained the exclusive right to use the production, sales and use of "Wong Lo Kat" red cans, and the contract is valid until December 31, 2011.
According to the Economic Voice's "Transaction Live" report, the protracted Chinese trademark case, the Wong Lo Kat trademark dispute worth 108 billion yuan, has finally come to a conclusion. On the evening of May 11, 2012, Guangzhou Pharmaceutical issued an announcement in Hong Kong Joint Trading stating that according to The award of the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission on May 9, 2012, the "Supplementary Agreement on the "Wanglaoji" Trademark License" and the "Supplementary Agreement on the "Wanglaoji" Trademark License Contract signed between GPHL and Hongdao (Group) Invalid, Hongdao (Group) Co., Ltd. stopped using the "Wong Lo Kat" trademark.