The creators of the popular “Banane Taipei” canvas tote bag were indicted by prosecutors yesterday for infringing on the trademark of French luxury goods brand Hermes.
The accused were Yuan Ju-chi (苑汝琦) and Chu Yun-kuang (朱韻光), owners of Banana International, which produces and sells the bag.
Images imprinted on the bag were alleged to be copied from the renowned Hermes Birkin bag, while the “Banane Taipei” logo also allegedly imitates Hermes’ horse-and-carriage logo.
According to an investigation by prosecutors, the Intellectual Property Office turned down an application by Yuan’s wife, surnamed Tsai, to register the “Banane Taipei” bag design as her intellectual property, on the grounds that its logo was too similar to that of Hermes. Tsai’s appeal was also rejected by an appeals committee under the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the investigation showed.
The bag, which sells for NT$1,500, has developed a huge fan base since its launch last year. That Taiwanese star Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛, aka Big S) gave away the bag as a gift to guests at her wedding in March, which also helped boost its popularity.
Hermes filed a complaint with police in June last year, accusing Banana International of violating its trademark and copyrights.
Prosecutors investigation into the alleged copyright violation is ongoing.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their
RSS