South Korea’s Lucky-Goldstar Co and Beijing Beichen Yishan Advertising Company are being sued for $5.5m by a Chinese firm for alleged copyright infringement and unfair competition: the suit is being brought by the Zhong Yuan Demonstration Technology Company of Zhengzhou; Zhong Yuan bases its case on the electronic demonstration board used in the 1990 Asian Games in Peking, which was made by Zhong Yuan on which Goldstar advertised with its logo; Goldstar won the right to use the board after paying $3m as advertising for the games; Zhong Yuan’s dispute arises over advertisements Goldstar placed in Chinese newspapers in August 1993 and March 1994, which Zhong Yuan reckons led potential customers to believe that Goldstar made the board; such advertisements hurt the reputation of Zhong Yuan and caused it heavy economic losses, the company moans.
