October 10, 2024 Copyright ©️ 2024 by goldkeen International Patent & Trademark Joint Office

 

It’s never easy for a brand to own trademark exclusivity under the same name worldwide.
Using different brand names or rebranding often involves complex reasons. For example, Milkshop rebranded in 2022 to Milksha, as the original name was too generic. In many countries, “Milk Shop” was considered lacking distinctiveness and often faced trademark rejection.

To register a trademark successfully, a brand name needs to have distinctiveness—it shouldn’t merely describe the product’s features.
What’s more, companies must ensure their trademarks aren’t registered first by competitors.
A famous case involved “50嵐” (Fifty Lan) in China, where a Shanghai-based company successfully registered the name first.
Later, Shanghai Manabe Company acquired the rights to the trademark but oddly chose not to renew it in 2017. (So strangeO)

In overseas markets, Fifty Lan expanded through different former franchisees.
In Singapore, it was Maya Fan, the central regional franchise head, who founded KOI.
Interestingly, the English name “KOI” resembles the Chinese character 「豆」 (bean) when rotated 90 degrees—a clever design detail.

Recently, in Thailand, a new logo with a unique meaning sparked curiosity.
In fact, as early as last year, Singapore’s Bean Coffee Company had already applied for trademark registration for this logo in Taiwan—this was to avoid the regret of another missed registration.
The company even officially defined the English name for “五十嵐” as “FIFTYLAN.”
Honestly, after drinking so many cups, this is the first time Anna heard that name!

#RegisterBeforeYouPromote
After reading this global franchise case, is your trademark protected?

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