Mainland pop music star Na Ying was in no mood to greet fans and sign autographs last week as she sat at a plaza near her Beijing home.
Tired of seeing more of her CDs sold by bootleggers than by her record label, Na was planning to take legal action.
Taking on China's mind-boggling capacity to produce faked versions of everything from computer software to aircraft parts is no small task, but lawyers with the Tenwell Law Firm of Beijing think new trademark laws introduced this month may give Na a fighting chance.
At her request, Tenwell has filed a lawsuit in the northeastern city of Shenyang, naming more than 40 factories as defendants and demanding as much as 500,000 yuan (HK$472,000) in damages.
She has already sued three organisations in the central industrial city of Shijiazhuang and has settled with one.
'Because she's famous, the court will definitely prioritise the case,' said Tenwell executive vice-president Xiao Dazhong. 'It won't be handled sloppily.'