As reported by the Chinese media, the Beijing Intellectual Property Court recently started a court hearing for a legal case involving PUBG Corp. Back in July 2017, PUBG Corp applied for a trademark for “今晚吃鸡”, which is the Chinese equivalent of “Chicken Dinner”, a term made popular by the battle royale PUBG. However, the trademark request was denied by the National Intellectual Property Administration, and PUBG Corp is now appealing the decision by suing the committee! The reason on why the trademark request was denied is due to the term “今晚吃鸡” lacking elements in being an actual business trademark.
PUBG Corp gave a lengthy explanation as well, but to summarize they argued that the term has been marketed and promoted for a lengthy amount of time, and it has since been easily recognizable. The court case is still ongoing, with PUBG Corp’s aiming to get the National Intellectual Property Administration to retract their decision and approve “今晚吃鸡” as an official trademark in China. With many other game companies using the term as well, I think it will be a tough fight for PUBG Corp to be awarded the win. What do you think?
