Beijing court rejects Britney Spears lawsuit

(Ecns.cn)— A lawsuit filed by American singer Britney Spears against China's Trademark Appeal Board (TAB) was rejected by the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate Court on Thursday, according to the Beijing Times.

In the lawsuit, Spears claimed the TAB, which is under the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, had violated her rights by approving a Chinese company to register its products under the name BRITNEY.

In an accusation filed earlier this year, Spears alleged her name had been "maliciously" registered to the product made by Shenzhen-based Wanfuda Trading Ltd. The singer argued that she was widely known in China as a Hollywood star and that the registration was intended to misguide Chinese consumers.

According to the court's investigation, Wanfuda filed the application for registration in August 2001 and was approved on January 28, 2004 by the Trademark Appeal Board to use BRITNEY as the trademark for its clock and watch related products.

It was believed by the court that the singer had failed to provide evidence of her popularity by the time the registration was approved, so the lawsuit was thrown out.