Gree Electric has filed another trademark‑enforcement lawsuit. The Xiangzhou District People’s Court of Zhuhai has accepted the case of Zhuhai Gree Electric Co., Ltd. v Ningbo Aifei Electric Appliance Co., Ltd. and other defendants for trademark infringement and unfair competition. Gree claims damages of RMB 5 million and requests an injunction ordering defendants to cease using the Gree‑related trademark “Landa” in enterprise trade‑names. The case is scheduled for public hearing on December 17, 2026.

Basic Case Information

This case is heard by the High‑tech People’s Tribunal under the Xiangzhou District People’s Court of Zhuhai, case No. (2026) Yue 0402 Min Chu No.11549. The plaintiff is Zhuhai Gree Electric Appliance Co., Ltd., a leading enterprise in China’s household‑appliance sector with high brand value. The involved “Landa” trademark belongs to Gree’s compressor brand; rights over Trademark No.1653675 form the core basis for its unfair‑competition claim.

The defendant group covers appliance manufacturers, sellers, logistics enterprises and several natural persons, reflecting Gree’s litigation strategy of pursuing liability against every link of the alleged infringement chain.

Ningbo Aifei Electric Appliance Co., Ltd. is the core alleged producer among defendants. Founded in June 2024 with registered capital of merely RMB 30,000, its business scope includes household‑appliance manufacturing and sales. Gree accuses it of producing and selling air‑conditioners bearing the “GRKE” sign and using this mark on its “GRKE Flagship Store” on JD.com. Notably, this newly‑established company with extremely low registered capital is the primary target of Gree’s RMB 5 million claim.

Lingji Heavy Industry (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. was founded in March 2025 with registered capital of RMB 100,000, engaging in manufacturing and sales of refrigeration and air‑conditioning equipment. Gree lists it as one producer‑seller of “GRKE” air‑conditioners and demands it bear joint‑and‑several liability up to RMB 2 million. Its legal representative is also named as a defendant.

Haizhi Electric Appliance (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. is substantially larger than the above‑mentioned two entities. Founded in 2017 with registered capital of RMB 100 million and high‑tech‑enterprise qualification, it mainly manufactures and sells air‑conditioners and other home appliances. Gree places it within the RMB 2‑million joint‑liability bracket, indicating that Gree believes it has played a comparatively important role in the alleged infringement chain.

Ningbo Landa Refrigeration Equipment Co., Ltd. is the direct counterparty in the “Landa” trade‑name dispute. Founded in 2025, it is requested to immediately cease using the “Landa” trademark in its corporate trade‑name and to bear joint‑and‑several liability up to RMB 3 million together with co‑defendants.

Ninghua Yuetu Technology Co., Ltd. is the most special defendant. The Yuetu air‑conditioner brand dates back to the 1980s. Relocated from Wenzhou to Ninghua, Fujian in 2015, it is one of Fujian’s leading household‑appliance enterprises with an annual production capacity of 3 million air‑conditioner sets. Gree includes it, together with Ninghua Jinqi Electric Appliance and Ninghua Jietong Logistics, within the RMB 3‑million joint‑liability bracket, alleging its substantial participation in production and sales of “GRKE” air‑conditioners.

Ninghua Jinqi Electric Appliance Co., Ltd., founded in November 2024, engages in air‑conditioning‑equipment manufacturing and online sales.

Ninghua Jietong Logistics Co., Ltd. was founded in 2017, engaged in general‑cargo transportation and agency services.

Moreover, three natural persons Zhang Minna, Lin Chujun and Zhang Minshan are accused of conducting infringing acts across 14 stores. Gree requests them to cease using “GRKE” and bear joint compensation of RMB 200,000.

Plaintiff’s Claims

According to hearing‑announcement disclosures, Gree submits multi‑tiered cease‑and‑desist and compensation claims targeting different defendants.

Claims concerning trademark infringement over the “GRKE” sign Gree requests the court to order Ningbo Aifei Electric, Lingji Heavy Industry (Suzhou), Haizhi Electric (Suzhou) to stop manufacturing and selling air‑conditioners marked with the name of Ningbo Aifei Electric and bearing the “GRKE” sign.

Order Ningbo Aifei Electric, Ningbo Landa Refrigeration Equipment, Ninghua Jinqi Electric Appliance, Ninghua Yuetu Technology to cease producing and selling air‑conditioners marked with Ningbo Landa Refrigeration Equipment’s name and bearing “GRKE”. Ningbo Aifei Electric shall immediately stop using “GRKE” in product links and store name of its JD “GRKE Flagship Store”.

Order natural‑person defendants Zhang Minna, Lin Chujun, Zhang Minshan to immediately stop using “GRKE” in product links and promotional images across the 14 stores concerned, and stop selling air‑conditioners bearing this mark.

Unfair‑competition claim over “Landa” trade‑name Gree requests Ningbo Landa Refrigeration Equipment Co., Ltd. to immediately cease using its registered trademark No.1653675 “Landa” within corporate trade‑name. As Gree’s compressor brand, “Landa” enjoys certain reputation within household‑appliance industry.

Gree alleges that registering “Landa” as corporate trade‑name and applying it to air‑conditioner products constitutes unfair competition. Should the court uphold this claim, it will offer reference for Gree’s future enforcement against similar trade‑name free‑riding cases.

Cease‑and‑desist request targeting logistics assistance Gree requests Ninghua Jietong Logistics Co., Ltd. to stop providing logistical assistance for Ninghua Yuetu Technology’s sales of the alleged “GRKE” air‑conditioners. Extending enforcement to logistics links is relatively rare among trademark‑infringement litigations. Gree seeks to block circulation channels for alleged infringing goods by cutting‑off logistical support.

Tiered‑design compensation claims Gree demands Ningbo Aifei Electric to pay economic loss plus reasonable expenses totalling RMB 5 million.

Lingji Heavy Industry (Suzhou), Lin Xue’e, Haizhi Electric (Suzhou) shall bear joint‑and‑several liability up to RMB 2 million.

Ningbo Landa Refrigeration Equipment, Zhou Guiping, Ninghua Jinqi Electric Appliance, Zhang Shucheng, Ninghua Yuetu Technology, Ninghua Jietong Logistics, Lin Chuanqi shall bear joint‑and‑several liability up to RMB 3 million.

Additionally, Zhang Minna, Lin Chujun, Zhang Minshan shall pay further joint compensation of RMB 200,000. Such tiered claims reflect Gree’s assessment of each defendant’s role and degree of participation in the alleged infringement chain, while allocating evidential‑burden across different participants.

Case Features & Focus Points

Judging from claim structures and defendant composition, Gree adopts a full‑chain‑liability strategy. Three noteworthy characteristics emerge:

1. Broad‑ranging defendants, liability extended to logistics participants Defendants cover direct producers and sellers of “GRKE” air‑conditioners, logistics enterprises accused of supporting infringing‑goods circulation, and natural‑person operators of e‑commerce stores. Naming a logistics enterprise as defendant and requesting injunctive relief against assisting conduct is uncommon in trademark enforcement practice, showing Gree’s intention to precisely strike circulation channels for alleged infringing goods.
2. Independent dispute front‑line over “Landa” trade‑name Parallel to “GRKE” trademark‑infringement allegations stands Gree’s request to stop use of “Landa” within corporate trade‑names. Ningbo Landa Refrigeration Equipment registered Gree’s well‑known compressor brand “Landa” as its corporate trade‑name. Gree alleges unfair competition. The ruling on this claim will influence judicial standards for the practice of registering others’ well‑known trademarks as corporate trade‑names.
3. Notable industrial‑registration profiles among defendants Ningbo Aifei Electric has merely RMB 30,000 registered capital and existed less than two years at case filing; Lingji Heavy Industry holds RMB 100,000 registered capital and was established only months ago; Ningbo Landa Refrigeration Equipment reports zero social‑insurance participants. There exists a striking gap between these entities’ operational scale and the alleged scale of infringement. Defendants’ defence arguments and courts’ assessment of infringing profit and compensation base will be key trial focal points. Meanwhile, Haizhi Electric (registered capital RMB 100 million) and Yuetu Technology with large‑scale production bases are placed into different joint‑liability brackets, reflecting differentiated treatment according to defendants’ actual operational capacity.

The case has not entered substantive hearing. Only plaintiff’s claims are disclosed via court public notices; defendants’ defence submissions remain unpublished. The hearing scheduled on December 17, 2026 will mark the first in‑court confrontation between both sides.

For Gree, this case forms part of its intensive trademark‑enforcement actions in recent years. The RMB 5‑million claim together with its full‑chain litigation framework ranks comparatively high among Gree’s recent civil IP litigations. Its judgment will supply reference for liability‑allocation rules for multi‑party, cross‑link trademark‑infringement disputes within household‑appliance industry.