ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

German cleaning machine manufacturer Kärcher has brought a legal action against the Chinese manufacturer Wenzhou Haibao for unfair competition. It says the company has made copies of some of its compact commercial high pressure cleaners, which has led to the legal action before the district court of Guangzhou (Canton).

The models HD 5/11, HD 6/15 and HD 7/18 have been sold in the Chinese market since 2005, along with other machines. Three years ago, the first Haibao versions with practically identically appearance were seen in the market.

"With our high pressure cleaners, we are market leaders not just in China, but worldwide. Haibao is copying our characteristic machine cleaner design and therefore exploits our reputation and our brand recognition value most unfairly for its own purposes," commented Hartmut Jenner, chairman of the board of the Kärcher Group on the impending court case.

"We have great confidence that the Chinese courts and authorities will protect our intellectual property rights."