Beijing businessman applies to trademark George W. Bush name to market nappies

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, February 07, 2004

Beijing businessman applies to trademark George W. Bush name to market nappies

A Beijing businessman has filed an application to trademark the Chinese name of US President George W. Bush to help market his disposable nappies.

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A Beijing businessman has filed an application to trademark the Chinese name of US President George W. Bush to help market his disposable nappies.

The applicant, surnamed Guo, filed an application with the General Administration for Industry and Commerce of China, stating he wants to use the two-character phrase "Bu Shi" as a trademark, the Beijing News reported.

"I hit upon the idea by chance," said Guo. "Back in my hometown in Henan province, the pronunciation of 'Bushi' sounds exactly like 'not wet'."

Government officials are not amused.

One official from the State Trademark Bureau, surnamed Liu, said the application would very likely be rejected "because it may bring about bad social impact if a leader's name is registered as a trademark".

He said it could take up to 16 months for a final decision to be made.

China's Trademark Law bans words or patterns that can cause "harmful effects on ethics or society" to be used as trademarks.

Liu said the authority had recently turned down an application by a costume company which applied to use the Chinese translation of "Lewinsky" as a fashion brand, referring to Monica Lewinsky who had an affair with former US president Bill Clinton.

Source: agencies

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