WEINHEIM, Germany (July 7, 2011) — A Chinese company that marketed its own seal products under the Freudenberg name has been banned from using the name.
The Trademark Review Board of State Administration for Industry and Commerce in Beijing has decided in favor of the Freudenberg & Co. K.G. of Weinheim, the German company said. The name of the Chinese company was not disclosed.
Freudenberg has been in a trademark dispute with the Chinese company located in the province of Zhejiang since 2002. By the board refusing to register the Freudenberg name as a trademark for the Chinese firm, “This means that we are allowed to use 'Freudenberg' as a trademark in China,” said. Wolfgang Schmid, deputy head of the corporate legal function at Freudenberg.
In 2002, the Chinese company had applied to register the “Freudenberg” name as a trademark in China for a class that includes rubber and rubber products, such as sealing materials, the production of which is part of the core business activities of Freudenberg.
There are 45 international classes. Freudenberg had become aware of the problem because the company was producing and marketing sealing products under the names of “NOK” and “cFw” (an abbreviation for “Carl Freudenberg Weinheim”) without holding appropriate licenses.