Tenpence to close last two bubble tea stores in Hong Kong, but legal fight with Xing Fu Tang firm is far from over
- Local distributor loses High Court battle with Taiwan’s CEO International
- But two sides are still locked in a legal dispute over trademark
Two more popular Taiwanese bubble tea shops run by a Hong Kong distributor in the city will close in three weeks’ time, a court heard on Thursday.
Lawyers for CEO International, the creator of the bubble tea brand Xing Fu Tang, made the announcement at the High Court, where they have been seeking a temporary ban on Tenpence International.
The two companies have been involved in a bitter court battle over copyright infringement since Hong Kong’s Tenpence opened its first store in Causeway Bay in August. Two other franchise stores, in Yuen Long and Tsim Sha Tsui, followed.
Tenpence shocked customers two days ago when it announced on its Facebook page that it would close its Causeway Bay shop.
On Thursday, barrister John Yan Mang-yee SC, for the Taiwanese firm, said the Hong Kong distributor had also promised to close the other stores on January 20, putting an end to the bitter court fight.
Tenpence’s move came as a surprise, as its lawyers had indicated in court a week ago it would contest the allegations, even though the presiding judge, Mr Justice David Lok, believed CEO International had a strong case.