In 2018, China tech giant Tencent launched its hugely successful video streaming website, Tencent Video.  By early 2019, it had over 900 million mobile active users and 89 million VIP subscribers. The Defendant, Longyao (Tianjin) E-commerce Co., Ltd (Longyao) subsequently developed an app ‘Chain Town' that offered pirated Tencent Video content for a very low membership fee and made use of the Tencent trade mark to attract subscribers.  Three Tencent companies, Shenzhen Tencent Computer System Co., Ltd., Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. and Longyao (Tianjin) E-commerce Co., Ltd. brought a trade mark infringement and unfair competition action in the Tianjin Third Intermediate People's Court.

The Plaintiffs claimed that the Defendant had, without permission, used a Tencent registered trade mark in relation to its ‘Chain Town' app leading to confusion and misunderstanding among relevant members of the public and loss of users of the Tencent Video app, causing Tencent economic loss and other damage. Further, it had engaged in unfair competition by offering users of the ‘Chain Town' app pirated versions of Tencent Video content for a very low price.

The Court held that Longyao had used Tencent's registered trade mark in relation to the services for which it was registered, thereby infringing Tencent's exclusive registered trade mark right. Further, its mode of operation, including the offering of pirated content, amounted to unfair competition which not only seriously infringed the legal interests of the Plaintiff, but also seriously disrupted market order.

The Defendant was ordered to immediately stop infringing Tencent's registered trade mark and engaging in unfair competition, and pay compensation for economic loss and reasonable expenses in the sum of 50 million yuan (approx. US$ 8 million).

腾讯公司商标侵权及反不正当竞争纠纷案一审胜诉

日期： 2021-04-25

近日，深圳市腾讯计算机系统有限公司、腾讯科技（深圳）有限公司等与隆耀（天津）电子商务有限公司侵害商标权纠纷一审民事判决书公布，审理法院为天津市第三中级人民法院。原告为腾讯科技（深圳）有限公司等3家腾讯系公司，被告为隆耀（天津）电子商务有限公司。

原告诉称，被告未经许可，在其经营的“链上小镇”APP的在线视频播放服务中使用与原告注册商标相同或近似的标识；被告实施的被诉侵权行为造成“腾讯视频”相关商标的混淆误认、腾讯视频APP的用户流失、经济损失等损害，给原告造成巨大损害并产生不良影响。

法院经审理认为，隆耀公司在与涉案商标同一种服务上使用了相同的标识，侵犯了腾讯数码公司、腾讯计算机公司以及腾讯科技公司享有的注册商标专用权。同时，隆耀公司通过“链上小镇”APP盗播热门影视剧的非法手段，大量吸引用户并发展具有上下线关系的用户群，抽取用户“津贴”赚取非法利益，不仅严重侵害原告的合法利益，还严重扰乱市场秩序，严重影响互联网行业“内容”换“流量”的商业模式，应属于不正当竞争行为。

法院一审判决隆耀（天津）电子商务有限公司立即停止实施侵害腾讯科技（深圳）有限公司、深圳市腾讯计算机系统有限公司、腾讯数码（天津）有限公司享有的注册商标专用权的行为及不正当竞争行为；并赔偿后者经济损失及维权合理开支共计5000万元等。

来源：商法新闻   2021-04-25

链接：https://www.163.com/dy/article/G8ENG9PL0550N21C.html

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