Home Box Office (HBO), the U.S. premium cable and satellite television network, has sued a restaurant in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province of China, for infringing its trademark.
The restaurant named HBO Studio Restaurant has been running its business in the city for five years and registered the trademark HBO on July 4, 2012, earlier than the US company's registration in China, according to the Chinese daily Global Times
The co-owner of the restaurant, Zhang Jian, said there is no direct conflict of interest in this case as his establishment is licensed to do business in the catering industry, while the U.S. company focuses on the film and television industry.
The U.S. company sent a legal notice to the restaurant along with documents to back its trademark infringement claims, while HBO Studio Restaurant enlisted the help of a trademark agency in its defense.