CHINA - In the latest development in its ongoing legal struggle in China, international organiser United Business Media (UBM) has been found guilty of conducting unfair business practices including dissemination of false propaganda and business defamation, and asked to pay token damages of RMB1 (US$0.15), after being sued by Howell International Trade Fair.
The ruling, made by a Chinese court, follows UBM’s win of an unfair competition case against Howell and the Publishers Association of China Game Publication Committee (CGPC). The two defendants of the previous case were found to have violated the “People’s Republic of China Anti-Unfair Competition Law” in its approach to competing with UBM’s GDC China gaming event.
Howell and CGPC partnered with UBM for its 2007 Game Developers Conference, which went ahead successfully. However, the 2008 edition was cancelled due to disputes and delays. Subsequently, Howell and the CGPA announced the launch of their own gaming event, bearing a similar name.
A statement released by Howell stated that as UBM had not duly registered the trademarks ‘Game Developers Conference’ or ‘GDC’ in China, its claims over the exclusive rights to ‘Game Developers Conference China (GDC China)’ and related intellectual property rights constituted “dissemination of false propaganda”.
“UBM, in its Lawyer's Letter to Evergreen Event and International Game Developers Association, accused Howell of breaching their contract and infringing upon its trademark rights, which resulted in these parties ending their partnerships with Howell. The sending of the Lawyer’s Letter by UBM to these parties constitutes an act of business defamation,” said a spokesman for Howell.
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