Honeywell wins compensation for infringement of AUTOLITE

The Shanghai First Intermediate People's Court has ordered Wenzhou Wuji Huayi Co to pay damages to Honeywell International Inc for infringement of the trademark AUTOLITE.

In 1998 Honeywell, one of the world's leading industrial equipment suppliers, registered AUTOLITE as a trademark for spark plugs in China. Earlier this year the Shanghai Customs raided a batch of spark plugs bearing the mark AUTOLITE which were to be exported to Nigeria. Customs confiscated the infringing goods and fined Wenzhou Wuji (the producer of the goods) Rmb63,000 (approximately $8,500).

Subsequently, Honeywell filed a civil trademark infringement case against Wenzhou Wuji in the Shanghai First Intermediate People's Court.

The court held that Wenzhou Wuji's actions constituted trademark infringement, as it had used the AUTOLITE mark on its products without Honeywell's authorization. Although the infringing goods had been confiscated and Honeywell had not, therefore, suffered any loss, the court ordered Wenzhou Wuji to pay damages of Rmb80,000 (approximately $10,667).

Jin Ling, Rouse & Co International, Shanghai