It should be noted that the protective rights to the trademark in the form of Bruce Lee’s image are held by Lee Enterprises, which is managed on a daily basis by Bruce Lee’s daughter, Shannon Lee. Recently, a dispute arose between the company and the popular Chinese fast-food chain, Real Kungfu, regarding the use of Bruce Lee’s image on the signs of the chain’s restaurants. According to Shannon Lee, the Chinese chain has n using her father’s image for almost 15 years, and moreover, it is doing so illegally, as these fast-food restaurants have nothing to do with the martial arts master, yet they use his image in their logos.
As a result, in December 2019, a lawsuit was filed in a Shanghai court against Real Kungfu Catering Management Co., in which Lee Enterprises demanded not only the immediate removal of Bruce Lee’s image from the restaurant chain’s logo but also a massive compensation of $30 million, which is equivalent to approximately 210 million yuan. The Chinese chain’s response was swift. In response to the lawsuit, the company stated that it was very surprised by the claims made by Lee Enterprises in court, given that the Real Kungfu logo has n in use since 2004 and has never n changed. Furthermore, the logo was said to have undergone rigorous checks by the Chinese trademark agency and was subsequently registered as a trademark. According to reports, the lawyers for the Chinese restaurant chain are already preparing a response to the lawsuit and are anticipating a legal battle. The case seems particularly interesting because, in addition to Lee Enterprises, the defendant restaurant chain is also very well-known in China (with over 600 restaurants) and ranks 8th on the list of the best fast-food restaurants in China, which certainly suggests an even dispute between the parties and little chance of an amicable settlement.
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