From People’s Daily:
The dispute between Chinese beverage company Wahaha and its French partner Danone took another unusual and very pubic twist on Friday with the Wahaha president admitting he made mistakes but insisting the original contract he signed isn’t valid.
Wahaha’s president Zong Qinghou says the original agreement between the two beverage giants was never approved by China’s trademark office and so is not in force or effect.
In a letter posted on one of China’s major web portals, Sina.com, Zong said a trademark-license contract must be approved by the Trademark Office of the State Administration For Industry and Commerce but he never submitted the original which restricts China’s largest drink producer from independently expanding.[Full Text]
