China is the second latest economy in the world, every significant brand's future is impacted by its growth (or collapse!); but who's got the time?! Here's our weekly potpourri of ten reads that will make you look like a keen China observer during any conversation about China.

This week: Starbucks China's holiday campaign (above) plus spicy duck subways, Toyota China becomes "China Toyota," booze ad dollars, BMW and Mercedes, dinosaurs, scandals at eBay's Xiu.com, Chinese cheese and more.Continue reading...

"Buyer beware" applies now, more than ever, as holiday shoppers take to the web and mobile to snap up bargains. According to the latest MarkMonitor Shopping Report, one in five bargain hunters in the U.S. and Europe mistakenly shopped on e-commerce sites selling counterfeit goods while searching for deals online.

“Consumers are being waylaid by rogue e-commerce sites, causing brands to lose business. The findings from our Shopping Report underscore the importance of developing proactive brand protection strategies in the digital age,” said Fredrick Felman, chief marketing officer of MarkMonitor, Thomson Reuters' enterprise brand protection business.

Working with Nielsen “to analyze anonymized data from Nielsen’s permissioned online panelists in six countries over a nine-month period, nearly five million shopping sessions were surveyed…focusing on the search terms the shoppers employed, such as 'fake,’ 'replica,’ 'cheap' or ‘discount,’ to determine their motivation.”

The MarkMonitor Shopping Report examined multiple demographics including age, income, education levels, and household size, and found that there are only minimal differences between online consumers seeking counterfeit goods and bargain hunters looking for a good deal on legitimate goods.

“These findings really challenge the common assumption that consumers who purchase counterfeit goods are distinctly different than those consumers buying genuine goods,” said Eric Solomon, SVP, global digital audience measurement, Nielsen.

“Deal seekers outnumbered consumers seeking fakes at the rate of 20 to 1,” notes the release from MarkMonitor, but deceptive pricing on counterfeit goods, often priced comparably to legitimate goods on sale, discounted at 25–50% off list prices, suggest ‘blowout’ or year-ender sales and lure unsuspecting shoppers.Continue reading...

A few years ago, UGG was stomping all over its competitors, but these days, the Australian company is just dancing as fast it can to keep consumers buying.

Yes, there are still queues at the UGG store in New York's Soho district, but that's mostly among tourists, which is why the brand is opening in the trendier Meatpacking district, joining Patagonia and Lululemon in cozying up to crowds at the Standard Hotel and upmarket retailers such as Jeffrey in a bid to woo higher-end shoppers.

The brand sparked a sheepskin boot craze more than a decade ago, and while it's trying to shore up its US business with a new commercial featuring brand ambassador Tom Brady ("Pink Slip," above) and a new store aimed at men, its popularity persists in markets such as the UK, where this month, the company is opening its seventh concept store and working hard to woo kids of all ages.Continue reading...

Members of the San Francisco Giants and Detroit Tigers are spending today readying themselves for the World Series that kicks off tomorrow in California. Players are studying their opponents’ strengths and weaknesses. Coaches are figuring their strategies. Umpires are readying themselves for extra loads of bile and hatred to be thrown their way. Mayors of the two cities will surely make some kind of jovial bet.

But another team that is also prepping for the big event is Major League Baseball Properties’ licensing group. Yep, the gang that sticks MLB team logos on everything from a “temperature gnome” for your garden and a steering wheel cover to carpet tiles and desk lamps is ready to take the streets and make sure their much-beloved brands aren’t being misused.

Before the first pitch is thrown, the team will be in the streets of San Francisco trying to find counterfeit items on sale to the large number of brand new fans of the team who tend to snap up gear at World Series time in order to prove they’ve loved the team all along.Continue reading...

As one potential war in China heats up, another is officially over, at least according to one brand.

"LEGO and BanBao Have Ended Their War" is the title of the press release sent out by BanBao Europe. The announcement celebrated a settlement between there two brands under which the duo will "seek a fair competition based on respect for each other's position."

If one didn't know any better, it might sound as if Banbao — less well known as Guangdong Jumbo Grand Plastic Moulding Industrial Co., Ltd. — had finally settled a corporate dispute between equals. But Banbao was a lot less conciliatory in more private statements.Continue reading...

The Chanel brand and knitwear company World Tricot used to be pals. Tricot is a former supplier of the Paris-based fashion house, but things went sour back in 2009 when Tricot accused Chanel of wrongfully terminating their business relationship and for “copying one of its designs,” according to British Vogue.

A lawsuit ensued, naturellement, and Chanel now must pay over 200,000 euros ($263,000) as a result of a ruling issued by the Paris Court of Appeals — not a huge amount, to be sure, especially as Tricot had originally sought $4.7 million for breach of contract and counterfeiting.

An attorney for Chanel said at the time that Tricot was just looking for PR, according to Vogue, but Chanel execs, who've been reminding fans this year about the iconic little black jacket, are likely singing a different tune these days.

"This is the first time that we have faced this type of situation, although we work with close to 400 suppliers," said Bruno Pavlovsky, president of Chanel fashion, Vogue reports. "This very specific case is in no way reflection of the quality of our relations with our suppliers."Continue reading...

The China Daily uses the ongoing frenzy around the Euro 2012 soccer football tournament to revisit a known, but not well known enough, phenomenon in China. Namely, names being registered in China by people who have nothing to do with the trademarked names themselves.

As The China Daily notes, "Philipp Lahm, Cristiano Ronaldo and Andres Iniesta are world-popular soccer stars, but they have also attracted attention that they might not want — from Chinese companies registering their names as trademarks."

Anyone charged with protecting a brand, or who might BE a brand, should drop what they are doing immediately and check to see if your brand has been registered in China without your approval, spelling your doom. Don't even bother reading the rest of this piece on China and trademarks. Go check.Continue reading...

Rovio Entertainment Ltd. is pulling back the slingshot and preparing to bombard China. The maker of the global phenomenon Angry Birds game just announced that it will open several theme parks in China "in the not too distant future."

Rovio's official investment in China might leave many actually in China asking, "You mean they weren't here already?"

"Angry Birds Should Start Getting Upset About IP Infringement" was the title of a post one year ago on China Hearsay, a blog written by a Beijing-based IP/IT lawyer and law professor, Stan Abrams. Abrams noted the sheer abundance of Angry Birds merchandise on the streets in China, adding that he "would be utterly shocked" if any of the products were licensed.Continue reading...