Quirky China: Winter Olympic mascot Bing Dwen Dwen copyright case, tigers get special dumplings, Valentine spending soars
- The first person convicted of copyright infringement involving China’s Winter Olympic mascot receives a year in prison and a (US$6,300) fine
- Tiger breeders in Chongqing fed the animals custom-made sweet dumplings on Valentine’s Day as a special treat
Want to own a fashionable piece of Bing Dwen Dwen and then join the hipster crowd? Take caution not to purchase it through pirate distributors.
That is the warning to consumers after the first case of copyright infringement of the Beijing Winter Olympics mascot went through China’s courts.
Recently, authorities prosecuted a case of piracy and infringement over the Winter Olympic mascot Bing Dwen Dwen and Paralympics mascot Shuey Rhon Rhon. The defendant was sentenced to one year in prison and received a 40,000 yuan (US$6,300) fine, making this the first criminal instance of copyright infringement over the use of the mascot’s image, according to ChinaNews.com.
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On February 14, the State Intellectual Property Office published a notice on its official website, invalidating 43 trademarks, including for Bing Dwen Dwen and ski champion Eileen Gu.
By midnight February 12, the National Copyright Administration had also received reports from various rights holders requesting that over 30,000 infringements involving the Winter Olympics be removed from various online video and social platforms.
According to the State Intellectual Property Office’s official website, the 2022 Beijing Organising Committee (BOCWOG) filed eight design patent applications for stickers, signs, and graphical user interfaces (GUI) related to the mascots of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games and the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games.
Tigers get special dumplings during year of the tiger lantern festival
On February 14, tiger breeders in Chongqing, Sichuan province, southwest China, fed the animals custom-made sweet dumplings, according to ThePaper.cn.
As the 2022 Year of the Tiger Lantern Festival approached, the tigers were given the opportunity to taste the special meat treats.
“The special sweet dumplings are made with fresh beef, pork, and chicken,” explained one of the breeders.
For a four-month-old cub abandoned by its mother, the breeder said they fed it the dumplings mixed with milk powder to balance its diet.
Furthermore, the keepers provided chimps, ring-tailed lemurs, and other animals custom-made sweet dumplings prepared with bananas, grapes, walnuts, red dates, and other ingredients.
Double spending for double holidays
The pandemic has long-suppressed consumer enthusiasm but this was unleashed in China during this year’s Valentine’s Day over the Lantern Festival, also known as the Chinese Valentine’s Day, which came a day after its Western equivalent, as people spent heavily.
In the lead up to February 14, flower prices soared in China’s main cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, according to ChinaNews.com.
For more than a decade Lao Yang has been selling flowers. Even for him, the high price this year is rare.
“Prices for a floral tie with 20 pieces are normally up to 30 yuan (US$4.70) before the holidays,” he said. “It’s up to 200 yuan (US$31.50) this year, and prices had begun to climb half a month ahead of the holidays.”
Ms Huang, the owner of a floral shop in Beijing, has had a similar experience. “On Valentine’s Day last year, a 99-red-rose bouquet cost 1,500 yuan (US$236), but it costs 3,000 yuan (US$472) this year,” she said.
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Aside from flowers, some people have turned to gold jewellery and luxury items as gifts that retain their value.
Long lines of customers gathered in front of both types of stores as a result of the higher discounts provided at gold stores than during the Spring Festival and expected price increases for luxury products.
On February 12, a Shanghai consumer contacted Louis Vuitton’s customer service and was told that, considering the current customer traffic, waiting in line for at least two hours to enter a store is common in their Shanghai stores.
