The Wuhan Intermediate People's Court recently concluded a highly anticipated trademark infringement case.
Weizhong Bank, the first Internet bank in China, successfully sued four affiliated companies with the word "Weizhong" in their names and their legal representative, Mr. Shi. The court decided that the defendant should stop infringement, change the name of the enterprise, and compensate for economic losses totaling 2.8 million yuan.
Case focus: Does the company name containing "Weizhong" infringe on rights
The plaintiff Weizhong Bank was established in 2014 and has registered multiple trademarks such as "Weizhong" and "Weizhong Bank" in the 36th category of financial services, forming a high level of recognition in the industry.
Since 2021, the defendant Shi has successively registered and established four enterprises in Wuhan, including Xingweizhong Network Technology Company and Weizhong Sentai Information Technology Company, all of which carry out financial information services, financial management and other businesses under the name of "Weizhong Group".
After discovering it, Weizhong Bank believed that these companies' unauthorized use of the "Weizhong" logo constituted trademark infringement and unfair competition, and therefore sued the court for more than 8 million yuan in compensation.
The defendant argues that:
1. Its business scope is different from that of WeBank. "WeBank" originates from the corporate philosophy of "shining brightly, achieving great success through collective efforts", and belongs to reasonable use.
2. Three of the companies also claimed that they have not actually operated and have no profits. Shi also advocates that individuals should not bear joint and several liability.


The court has determined that it constitutes joint infringement, and individuals also need to bear responsibility
After trial, the Wuhan Intermediate People's Court determined that the defendant company used the word "Weizhong" in its corporate name and conducted similar or similar business under the name of "Weizhong Group", which could easily cause confusion among the public and constitute unfair competition.
The court also pointed out that these companies prominently used logos similar to the WeBank trademark in their business premises and promotions, which infringed on their trademark rights. And the four companies have equity connections and overlapping executives, resulting in joint operations, which constitutes joint infringement.
In response to the defendant Shi's responsibility, the court found that he not only served as the legal representative of four companies and held shares in related enterprises, but also directly transferred the company's operating income to his personal account, forming a "private deposit of public funds", which cannot prove that his personal property is independent of the company's property.
Therefore, Shi needs to bear joint and several liability for the compensation obligations of the four companies.


Judgment result: Name change, compensation, public statement


The court ultimately ruled that the defendants Weizhong Sentai Company, Weizhong Zhongcheng Company, and Xingweizhong Company would change their corporate names and delete the word "Weizhong". The three companies would each compensate Weizhong Bank with 200000 yuan, totaling 600000 yuan; Four companies jointly compensate WeBank for an economic loss of 2 million yuan and bear a reasonable cost of 200000 yuan for WeBank's rights protection; The total compensation is 2.8 million yuan, and the defendant Shi assumes joint and several liability for the above-mentioned monetary payment obligation.


This judgment not only protects the trademark rights of WeBank, but also sends a clear signal that registering a company name is not an infringement "talisman". Any malicious act of colluding with others' goodwill and causing market confusion will ultimately be severely punished by the law. For market entities intending to "free ride" by registering similar names, this is undoubtedly a profound legal risk lesson.