Ferrari loses trademark suit in Malaysia over local energy drink's ‘Wee Power' horse logo
In a judgment dated May 30, Judge Adlin Abdul Majid dismissed Ferrari's challenge to block Sunrise-Mark's trademark registration, stating that the Italian carmaker's claims of potential confusion were unfounded, according to a report published in the New Straits Times today.
Ferrari had sought to overturn a decision by the Registrar of Trademarks which dismissed its opposition and allowed Sunrise-Mark's application for the 'Wee Power' trademark, featuring two rearing horses, a large 'W', and the words 'Wee Power'.
'The plaintiff's mark is a device mark with one rearing horse while the defendant's mark contains two rearing horses facing each other,' said Adlin, who found that the marks were visually and conceptually distinct.
She also accepted Sunrise-Mark's explanation that the word 'Wee' was derived from its founder's name, Wee Juan Chien, and not a reference to the English word meaning 'very small'.
Ferrari had argued that 'Wee' was generic and that 'Power' had been disclaimed in the registration, but the judge disagreed and found no evidence of an intent to mimic the Italian brand.
She further noted that the two companies operate in entirely different sectors — luxury vehicles versus consumable energy drinks — with no reasonable likelihood of customer confusion.
'It is unlikely that the average consumer would see the defendant's mark and form the impression that it is similar to the plaintiff's mark,' she added.
The court ordered Ferrari to pay costs, with PC Kok and Ng Pau Chze representing the carmaker, and YY Ho and Amirah Najihah Ameruddin appearing for Sunrise-Mark.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
an hour ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Poverty reduction plan should be more ambitious, says economist
Muhammed Abdul Khalid says one of the 13MP's flaws is its low targets for reducing poverty and narrowing income gap. (Muhammed Abdul Khalid pic) PETALING JAYA : A targeted reduction of only 1.1% in the incidence of absolute poverty in the country shows a lack of ambition in the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), according to an economist. For Muhammed Abdul Khalid, the objective to bring the rate down from 5.8% currently to 4.7% over the next five years was in sharp contrast to the government's objective to make Malaysia a high-income nation. 'We want to rank among the top 30 nations in the world (in terms of income), which is commendable,' he told FMT. 'On the other hand, we must also ensure that growth is inclusive.' At a talk organised by Kelab Belia Prihatin here on Aug 14, Muhammed had said that the government should focus more on reducing poverty and narrowing the income gap. 'Only then will we be a developed country, where everyone benefits,' he said. When tabling the 13MP for debate at the Dewan Rakyat on July 31, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had said that the target was to also eradicate hardcore poverty, which now stands at 0.19% of all households. Muhammed, who served as Dr Mahathir Mohamad's economic adviser during the latter's second stint as prime minister, also took issue with the RM15 billion increase in development expenditure to RM430 billion compared with the 12MP. 'That is only RM3 billion a year. We need to spend more on healthcare, education and housing. The government has announced plans to build a million new affordable homes over the next 10 years. 'How will this new target be achieved? Who will be responsible for delivering it?' he asked. Another shortcoming, he said, is Anwar's decision to ignore PR1MA, the previous government's affordable housing programme, despite pledging to build a million affordable homes from 2026 to 2035. He said another flaw in the 13MP is its low target for narrowing the income gap. 'Income inequality is not being treated with the seriousness it deserves despite it being one of the most pressing challenges,' he said. '(This is) made worse by the fact that lower-income groups continue to shoulder multiple taxes,' he added. He described the government's target of narrowing the rich-poor gap by only 1% over five years as 'extremely modest'. Under the 12MP, the gap as measured using the Gini coefficient was 0.390. The target under the 13MP is 0.386. For Muhammed, it is 'merely symbolic'. The average Gini coefficient in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is 0.315. 'If the government only aims for a marginal reduction, our inequality gap by 2030 will remain wide and far from the standards of more equitable societies. This is not good for the economy and rakyat,' he said. In 2020, the statistics department reported that income inequality in the country was higher in 2019 than it was in 2016.
New Straits Times
6 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Farhash, two others sue MalaysiaNow for RM10mil over Sabah mining scandal reports
KUALA LUMPUR: Businessman Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak and two others have sued news portal MalaysiaNow and its editor for defamation, seeking RM10 million in damages over reports on the Sabah mining scandal. According to court documents, the suit was filed by Messrs Ahmad Deniel, Ruben & Co at the Shah Alam High Court on July 30.
Malay Mail
6 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Vingroup Ranked Vietnam's Largest Private Contributor to the State Budget
The National Exhibition Fair Center, inaugurated on August 19, stands as a testament to Vingroup's credibility and execution capability. HANOI, VIETNAM - Media OutReach Newswire - 21 August 2025According to theranking of Vietnam's top 100 private enterprises by tax contribution, published by the CafeF, Vingroup paid more than VND 56.2 trillion into the state budget in 2024, representing an 82% increase compared to 2023. Vingroup's payments made up 23% of the Top 100's total contributions and nearly 40% of the Top is the second consecutive year CafeF has published the PRIVATE 100 list, which is based on actual payments made during a full fiscal year. Vingroup's continued leadership in the ranking is a clear testament to its credibility, social responsibility, and the effective, sustainable business model of its entire addition to being the largest taxpayer, Vingroup is also Vietnam's largest private conglomerate and one of the nation's leading corporations. As of June 30, 2025, Vingroup's total assets reached VND 964,439 billion; consolidated net revenue and post-tax profit for the first half of 2025 were VND 130,366 billion and VND 4,509 billion, two core business pillars, Technology - Industry and Real Estate & Services, achieved impressive growth. In thesegment, VinFast delivered 72,167 electric vehicles worldwide in the first six months of 2025, a 3.2-fold increase year-on-year. In Vietnam, VinFast maintained its position as the market leader with 67,569 cars delivered, while also setting a new record in electric two-wheelers with 114,484 units handed over. These results reinforce VinFast's pioneering role in driving the green Vinhomes remained Vietnam's real estate leader, recording VND 67,504 billion in contracted sales and an additional VND 138,208 billion in unbilled bookings (as of June 30, 2025). Vinhomes was also the top real estate taxpayer in 2024, according to the PRIVATE 100 ranking. Other key subsidiaries, including Vincom Retail and Vinpearl, posted revenues of VND 4,274 billion and VND 5,912 billion respectively, maintaining their leadership in retail real estate and on August 11, 2025, Vingroup announced the addition of two new pillars,(high-speed rail, bridges, ports, logistics, etc.) and(solar, wind, and energy storage systems). These sectors are expected to unlock breakthrough growth potential, further contribute to the state budget, and strengthen the role of the private sector as the new driver of Vietnam's contributes meaningfully to society through itspillar. In August 2025, the Group's Kind Heart Foundation was awarded the First-Class Labor Order, recognizing 19 years of tireless charitable efforts, supporting millions of disadvantaged individuals, and promoting sustainable community development with total disbursements of VND 30 August 19, 2025, Vingroup also proudly received the First-Class Labor Order for completing the National Exhibition Fair Center 15 months ahead of schedule. This milestone was dedicated to Vietnam's 80th National Day and marks a significant contribution to the socio-economic development of Hanoi and the repeated recognition at the national level, alongside its consistent top rankings in reputable business evaluations, is clear evidence of its growth potential, social responsibility, and long-term commitment to sustainable #Vingroup The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
