Advertisement
‘Little Princess of Huawei’ Annabel Yao gets names trademarked despite previous backlash and apology from Ren Zhengfei
- Annabel Yao is embarking on an entertainment career after she recently graduated from Harvard
- Ren said the trademarks were made to prevent ‘malicious use’ by other companies
Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
2
Mandy Zuoin Shanghai
China’s telecoms giant Huawei Technologies Co. has trademarked the name of its founder Ren Zhengfei’s youngest daughter Annabel Yao to prevent companies from “maliciously” using her name as she sets off on an entertainment career.
Search results on Tianyancha, a Chinese business registration and trademark platform, showed authorities approved the trademarks on October 21. They covered the woman’s real name, Yao Siwei, and her stage name Yao Anna in over 20 classes of goods and services, such as jewellery and machinery.
Advertisement
News of the trademark applications became public in February, just days after the company filed for the applications on January 25. The decision was blasted by people who thought the case was an example of the perks enjoyed by the rich and powerful.
Amid the public criticism, Ren apologised in internal letters that were leaked for leveraging Huawei’s stature in China for personal reasons and said it was the first time he had done so.
Advertisement
Yao was born to Ren’s ex-wife Yao Ling and is nicknamed Huawei’s “little princess”. In January, she announced the start of an entertainment business in a splashy 17-minute documentary.
Advertisement
Select Voice
Select Speed
1.00x