Thematic interviews
Written by: Yue Yueting and Lin Leqian
2019-12-21 16:34
Last updated: 2019-12-21 16:35The popular cartoon character Pepe the Frog (Pepe the frog) landed in Central on 21st today and opened the first limited-time shop in Hong Kong, selling Pepe products, including dolls, towels and socks. However, the background of Pepe's exclusive Hong Kong general agent has caused speculation, because there are rumors on the Internet that this company officially authorized to produce Pepe's frog products has a Chinese background, but the company insists that it was established by "Hong Kong people And management. "
"Hong Kong 01" looked for clues in the direction of trademark registration, and found that the "pepe®" trademark text on the use of the product had no matching registration record. On the other side, a company with a Mainland background is applying for a registered trademark for Pepe's frog head. The Pepe head patterns with 4 different expressions appear on products in the limited store in Central.
Pop-up store's partner bike shop, Velo6, is the friend of the exclusive agent in Hong Kong. This time, the venue was loaned out. (Photo by Wu Yueting)
Pepe's frog became a "free fighter" in support of democracy during the recent demonstrations in Hong Kong. Before the official launch of its avatar products today, it was very "hot". It is related to the fact that the Hong Kong company authorized by Pepe frog creator Matt Furie to produce goods has a Chinese background and has aroused a lot of discussion among netizens.
Earlier on Tuesday, the 17th, the company had issued a solemn statement on the official Facebook page, saying that it had been authorized to open Pepe the Frog Store in Hong Kong and was authorized to produce Pepe the Frog products. It also emphasized that Pepe the Frog in Hong Kong All funds are independently operated by local private companies, and the products sold in Hong Kong are created by the Hong Kong design team and recognized by international copyright companies.
Pepe's official Hong Kong agent issued a statement saying that all funds are independently operated by local private companies and have no relationship with any media group or enterprise. (Pepe the frog HK Facebook)
Mainland enterprises are applying for Pepe trademark but "not paid"
However, the "history" doubt surrounding the Pepe frog in Hong Kong has not completely dissipated. The official statement did not disclose which Hong Kong company obtained Pepe the Frog's exclusive agency rights in Hong Kong. The reporter logged in to the official Pepe the Frog website in Hong Kong and could not find company profile information. The Pepe products sold in the Pop-up store in Central, No relevant information was attached.
In order to find out the company's background, the reporter tried to start with the registration of the trademark. Through the online search system of the Intellectual Property Department, he entered the trademark text "pepe®", which was limited to the products in the store, but couldn't find a match. On the other side, a company named Momo Entertainment is applying for trademark registration for Pepe's avatar, involving Pepe's avatar patterns with 4 different expressions, covering products including mobile phone cases, headphones, paper and prints, luggage belts, clothing, socks, Toys, etc., but the status of the application is "received the application, but did not pay the fee". The reporter found that the four Pepe avatar patterns also appeared in the Pepe products in the limited store in Central.
Through the online search system of the Intellectual Property Office, the reporter found that a company called Momo Entertainment was applying for trademark registration for Pepe's avatar. (Screenshot of the Intellectual Property Office website)
Applying for Pepe trademark
According to the information of the Companies Registry, the annual return of Momo Entertainment Ltd (“Momo Entertainment Co., Ltd.”) shows that the company ’s equity currency is Renminbi, and the company ’s director is Ren Jian. The registered address is located in Xi'an, China. At the same time, members of Momo Entertainment's non-listed companies include Shanghai Bolu Information Technology Co., Ltd.
The above information is similar to that of Xi'an Momo Information Technology Co., Ltd. The company's legal representative is Ren Jian and its registered address is also in Xi'an. Its business includes cartoon image design and production, animation creation, and animation peripheral industry design and development. Anime platform "The Runaway Manga".
Intellectual Property Department: Applicants must pay within two months
The status of the Pepe trademark application is "received the application and the payment has not been paid." The reporter called the Intellectual Property Department to check. The deadline for payment will be indicated. After the deadline, the application will be considered as abandonment, and the applicant will need to re-submit the trademark application. The staff member continued that if there were other applicants submitting trademark registration applications at the same time, the department would decide on the order of “submission of application forms and payment of fees”. If one of the two parties completed these two steps, they would have priority to become trademark owners. people.
On the latest discovery, the reporter made an inquiry with Pepe The Frog, the exclusive general agent of Hong Kong in the evening on Friday, 20th. The company reiterated through a spokesman that it had been authorized in early 2019. The background is a local Hong Kong-funded company. Opened and managed by Hong Kong people, the registered name is not disclosed. As for the registration of the "pepe ®" trademark and whether the company has a relationship with Momo Entertainment, the spokesman said that he was still learning about it and would respond as soon as possible.
The reporter did not find the registration result of the "pepe ®" trademark in the online search system of the Intellectual Property Department. (Photo by Wu Yueting)
Netizens urge to stop buying U magazine: Pepe giveaway will be postponed
Pepe the Frog's arrival in Hong Kong caused a lot of controversy. Earlier, "U magazine" was authorized by Hong Kong's official Pepe the Frog. It plans to attach a Pepe The Frog tote bag with the book on December 12, but was criticized by some netizens as "human blood gimmicks." This issue did not come with the product. The reporter inquired as "U magazine" as a reader, and the staff said that the Pepe handbag would be postponed. The exact date is unknown, and the latest news will be announced on the Facebook page in the future.
Earlier, some netizens asked Matt Furie, the cartoonist who created Pepe. The netizen stated that Pepe has become a symbol of ongoing protests, fighting with Hong Kong people for freedom, and hoped that the author would be glad that Pepe was redefined by Hong Kong. Matt replied, "This is great news, Pepe for the people! (This is good news, Pepe is with the people!)", Pepe the frog also became a "freedom fighter" in support of democracy.
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