US game publisher Activision wins trademark lawsuit in China

A Chinese court ruled that Activision Publishing Co. won a trademark lawsuit over a Chinese film distributor.

The people's court in Pudong New Area in Shanghai ordered Huaxia Film Distribution Co. Ltd. to stop infringement of the rights of Activision and pay damages of 600,000 yuan (about 90,900 U.S. dollars).

Activision Booth at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) at the Los Angeles Convention Center on June 14, 2017 in California. [Photo: IC]

Activision, the plaintiff, claimed that "Call of Duty," a film distributed by Huaxia in September 2015 infringed upon its trademark rights.

"Call of Duty" is a popular video game that entered the Chinese market in 2004, Activision claimed.

Huaxia used the name of the game without consent of the plaintiff in promotion of the film and thus confused the public. 

Activision owns rights to "Call of Duty" logos and registered them with the Trademark Office of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce.