Upper-Intermediate - Intellectual Property Lawsuits

(D0396)

A: 我前兩天去了一個咖啡店，剛開始還以為是星
巴克呢，誰知道是假冒的！它的商標幾乎和正
牌一模一樣。你說，這不是明顯的侵權嗎？
Wǒ qiánliǎngtiān qù le yı̄ ge kāfēidiàn, gāng kāishı̌ hái
yı̌wéi shı̀ xı̄ngbākè ne, shéizhı̄dào shı̀ jiǎmào de! Tā de
shāngbiāo jı̄hū hé zhèngpái yı̄móyı̄yàng. Nı̌ shuō, zhè bù
shı̀ mı́ngxiǎn de qı̄nquán ma?
A couple of days ago I went to a coffee shop. At first I
thought it was a Starbucks. Who knew that it was just
posing as a Starbucks! Its logo was almost identical to
the real Starbucks logo. Don’t you think that’s obvious
infringement?

B: 啊？我還以為這種事情早沒了。今年，美國星
巴克告上海一家用了相同名字的咖啡店，結果
法院判上海星巴克侵權，賠償50萬元，而且立
即停止使用這個名字。哎，真沒想到，市場上
還是有這樣的冒牌貨。
Ā? Wǒ hái yı̌wéi zhèzhǒng shı̀qing zǎo méi le. Jı̄nnián,
Měiguó xı̄ngbākè gào Shànghǎi yı̄ jiā yòng le xiāngtóng
mı́ngzi de kāfēidiàn, jiéguǒ fǎyuàn pàn Shànghǎi xı̄ngbā-
kè qı̄nquán, péicháng wǔshı́ wàn yuán, érqiě lı̀jı́ tı́ngzhı̌
shı̌yòng zhège mı́ngzi. Āi, zhēn méixiǎngdào, shı̀chǎng
shàng hái shı̀ yǒu zhèyàngde màopáihuò.

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 Huh? I thought that this type of thing wasn’t happening
anymore. This year, Starbucks America sued a Shanghai
coffee shop that was using the same name. The out-
come was that the court ruled that the Shanghai Star-
bucks infringed on the rights of Starbucks, and had to
pay compensation in the amount of 500,000 yuan. Fur-
thermore, they were to immediately stop using the same
name. Wow, I had no idea there were still these kinds of
imitations on the market.

A: 嗯，看來知識產權真是中國所面臨著的一個大
問題。以前法律不健全，所以好多商家得不到
保護。可是現在，法律進步了，但還是有那麼
多鑽空子的人。長期這樣下去對中國的經濟發
展該是多麼不利啊。
Ng, kànlai zhı̄shichǎnquán zhēnshı̀ Zhōngguó suǒ miàn-
lı́n zhe de yı̄ ge dà wèntı́. Yı̌qián fǎlü
ù bù jiànquán, suǒyı̌
hǎoduō shāngjiā dé bu dào bǎohù. Kěshı̀ xiànzài, fǎlü ù
jı̀nbù le, dàn hái shı̀ yǒu nàme duō zuān kòngzi de rén.
Chángqı̄ zhèyàng xiàqu duı̀ Zhōngguó de jı̄ngjı̀ fāzhǎn gāi
shı̀ duōme bùlı̀ ā.
Uh-huh. It seems like intellectual property rights are really
a big problem that China faces. Before, the laws were not
as strong, so a lot of businesses couldn’t get protection.
Now, the laws have improved, but there are still a lot of
people looking for loopholes. This is detrimental to long-
term economic development.

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 B: 是啊。而且，很多國內外廠商經常會遇到知
識產權被侵犯的問題，像商標、版權、專利等
等。實在是令人擔心啊。這不僅影響了外商在
中國的投資，對國內的企業和文化市場也造成
了很大的損失。有好多行業甚至因此而無法生
存呢。
Shı̀ ā. Érqiě, hěn duō guónèiwài chǎngshāng jı̄ngcháng
huı̀ yùdào zhı̄shichǎnquán bèi qı̄nfàn de wèntı́, xiàng
shāngbiāo, bǎnquán, zhuānlı̀ děngděng. Shı́zài shı̀ lı̀ng-
rén dānxı̄n ā. Zhè bùjı̌n yı̌ngxiǎng le wàishāng zài Zhōng-
guó de tóuzı̄, duı̀ guónèi de qı̌yè hé wénhuà shı̀chǎng yě
zàochéng le hěn dà de sǔnshı̄. Yǒu hǎoduō hángyè shèn-
zhı̀ yı̄ncı̌ ér wúfǎ shēngcún ne.
Also, also a lot of domestic and international firms
frequently encounter problems with respect to intellec-
tual property rights; whether it’s trademark, copyright or
patent issues. This has not only affected foreign in-
vestment in China, but has also caused huge losses to
domestic enterprises and the cultural market. Conse-
quently, there have even been a lot of professions that
were not able to survive.

A: 對對對。不過我想以後應該會有較大改觀吧。
中國加入世貿組織以後，政府越來越重視知識
產權的保護了。聽說我們國家專門成立了相關
部門，進行這方面的管理和監督。而且也加重
了對侵權行為的法律處罰。

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 Duı̀ duı̀ duı̀. Bùguò wǒ xiǎng yı̌hòu yı̄nggāi huı̀ yǒu jiàodà
gǎiguān ba. Zhōngguó jiārù shı̀màozǔzhı̄ yı̌hòu, zhèngfǔ
yuèláiyuè zhòngshı̀ zhı̄shichǎnquán de bǎohù le. Tı̄ng-
shuō wǒmen guójiā zhuānmén chénglı̀ le xiāngguān bù-
mén, jı̀nxı́ng zhè fāngmiàn de guǎnlı̌ hé jiāndū. Érqiě yě
jiāzhòng le duı̀ qı̄nquán xı́ngwéi de fǎlü
ù chǔfá.
Right, right. But I think that hereafter it should improve
somewhat. Ever since China joined the WTO, the govern-
ment has taken protection of intellectual property rights
more and more seriously. I have heard that the gov-
ernment has specially set up a correlating department to
carry out the supervision and oversight of these matters.
Furthermore, they have also made the penalties for viola-
tion of infringement laws more serious.

B: 真的嗎？不過依我看，管理重要，人們的意識
也同樣重要。我們在生活中都多多少少做過一
些侵犯知識產權的事，比如說下載音樂、買盜
版碟，買一些假名牌甚麼的。所以我想要真正
解決問題，大家還應該好好地規範規範自己的
行為才行。
Zhēndema? Bùguò yı̄ wǒ kàn, guǎnlı̌ zhòngyào, rénmen
de yı̀shi yě tóngyàng zhòngyào. Wǒmen zài shēnghuó
zhōng dōu duōduōshǎoshǎo zuò guo yı̄xiē qı̄nfàn zhı̄shi-
chǎnquán de shı̀, bı̌rú shuō xiàzǎi yı̄nyuè, mǎi dàobǎn
dié, mǎi yı̄xiē jiǎ mı́ngpái shénmede. Suǒyı̌ wǒ xiǎng yào
zhēnzhèng jiějué wèntı́, dàjiā hái yı̄nggāi hǎohāo de guı̄-
fàn guı̄fàn zı̀jı̌de xı́ngwéi cáixı́ng.

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 Really? In my opinion supervision is important, but public
awareness is equally as important. In our daily lives, we
have all done something to infringe on intellectual prop-
erty rights to some degree, for example: download music,
buy pirated DVDs, buy fake brand name goods, etc. So, I
think that if we genuinely want to solve this problem, ev-
eryone has to diligently regulate their own behavior.

Key Vocabulary

一模一樣 yı̄móyı̄yàng identical

侵權 qı̄nquán infringement of rights

判 pàn to judge

健全 jiànquán strong

鑽空子 zuān kòngzi to look for loopholes

改觀 gǎiguān change in perspective

監督 jiāndū to oversee

加重 jiāzhòng to become more serious

處罰 chǔfá to penalize

侵犯 qı̄nfàn to violate

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 規範 guı̄fàn regulate; standardize

商標 shāngbiāo logo

冒牌貨 màopáihuò imitation

版權 bǎnquán copyright

產權 chǎnquán property rights

專利 zhuānlı̀ patent

盜版碟 dànbǎn dié pirated DVD or CD

Supplementary Vocabulary

侵犯 qı̄nfàn violate; infringe on (sb.’s

rights)

侵略 qı̄nlüè invade

告狀 gàozhuàng sue someone; complain to

sb.’s superior about some-
one

判斷 pànduàn judge; determine

局面 júmiàn aspect; phase; situation

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 懲罰 chéngfá punish; penalize

遵守 zūnshǒu abide by; comply with

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