The Taipei District Court has ordered a cram school to pay National Taiwan University (NTU) NT$6.23 million (US$202,866) for trademark infringement.
The value of NTU’s trademarks “is no less than that of world-famous businesses” and should not be used for profit, the university said in response to the ruling.
The court ruled against the operator of Taida Cram School in front of Taipei Main Station, which was ordered to stop using the word “Taida” (台大) in Mandarin or English for its name or other purposes.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
The ruling can be appealed.
The case is the latest in a series of trademark infringement lawsuits filed by the university, which sought compensation of NT$10 million from the cram school.
NTU has asked dozens of other businesses across Taiwan, including cram schools, construction companies, pharmacies and biotechnology companies, not to use “Taida” in Mandarin, and “NTU” and “Taida” in English, as they are registered trademarks.
The cram school operator said that its registration was approved by the Taipei City Department of Education in 1972 and it started using the word “Taida” on T-shirts in 2008, prior to NTU’s application.
However, the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Intellectual Property Office rejected the cram school’s application to register the trademark “Taida” on the grounds that the name is an abbreviation for NTU in Mandarin: guo li tai wan da xue (國立臺灣大學).
The university said that its Office of General Affairs and the Office of Legal Affairs are in charge of its trademarks, adding that trademarks are more than an image, but a brand and a right protected by law.
NTU’s brand is the result of the efforts of faculty members and students since the university was established, and should be maintained and protected, it said.
NTU began registering its trademarks in 1983, including its school badge and the school’s names in Mandarin and English, and they have all been approved by the Intellectual Property Office, it said.
Many private businesses use NTU’s trademarks without permission, the university said, adding that it would inform businesses about trademark infringements first and only file a lawsuit against them if the issue is not resolved.
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