Chinese companies’ bid to trademark PLA soldier’s patriotic phrase rejected
Chen Xiangrong was one of the four PLA troops killed in the June 15 Galwan Valley clash. A phrase used by Chen in his diary went viral. It read: “My love is crystal clear, and it is only for China”
A patriotic expression “crystal clear love” used by a Chinese soldier who died fighting Indian troops at Galwan Valley in June last year can’t be used to sell products like food and drinks, China’s top intellectual property body has ruled, condemning applications to trademark the phrase.
Chen Xiangrong was one of the four PLA troops - the official casualty number declared by Beijing last month - who was killed in the June 15 showdown.
Soon after the names and personal details of the soldiers were made public in February, a phrase used by Chen in his personal diary went viral on Chinese social media. It read: “My love is crystal clear, and it is only for China.”
Several companies in China found the expression a potential catchphrase that could be used to market products.
“Since February 20, some businesses and individuals have applied to use ‘Crystal Clear Love’ for the registration of trademarks on 17 items, including food, drink and clothing,” the National Intellectual Property Administration (NIPA) said in a release on Monday.
“It’s the battle cry written by Chen, fully showing the martyr’s love for the motherland and his noble sentiment of selfless dedication,” the state-controlled China Daily reported, quoting the NIPA.
Condemning the applications as improper efforts, the NIPA said, “It desecrated the spirit of heroes and deviated from the core values of socialism, which would make it easy to have a bad social impact.”
Trademarks should not be “harmful to socialist morals and customs”, the statement added.
China has been sensitive about comments perceived to be slanderous about the four soldiers who died and one who was injured in the Galwan Valley clash.
At least eight persons have so far been arrested, detained or have had proceedings initiated against them for insulting the “PLA heroes and martyrs” online.
On March 1, one of them, Qiu Ziming, who is a blogger, became the first person to be booked under the newly changed law on harming the reputation and honour of heroes and martyrs. He is likely to get jail time.
A day later, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV aired a minute-long video during a prime-time news programme, showing Qiu, 38, admitting to the “annihilation of conscience” and “arrogance” in insulting the soldiers who were killed and injured in the clash with Indian troops.
