Shannon Lee is demanding $30 million from the Chinese company for its logo, which bears similarities to the martial arts legend.
Left: Images of Kung Fu Fast Food; right: A still of Bruce Lee in the martial arts film “Game of Death.” From Weibo
A Shanghai court has accepted a lawsuit that the daughter of martial arts icon Bruce Lee filed against a Chinese fast-food chain over a logo bearing similarities to the famed actor, Sixth Tone’s sister publication The Paper reported Thursday.
Shannon Lee filed a lawsuit against Guangzhou Kung Fu Fast Food Chain Management Co. Ltd., demanding that the company immediately stop using an image in its logo that, according to the lawsuit, resembles Bruce Lee. The plaintiff — who is also the founder of Bruce Lee Enterprises, LLC — further demands that the restaurant chain pay 210 million yuan ($30 million) in compensation and publish a clarification in media outlets for 90 days that would disassociate them from the martial arts star, according to Sina Entertainment, which broke the news Wednesday.
The logo in question depicts a man in a yellow jumpsuit striking a kung fu pose and is believed to have infringed the rights of the martial arts film star, Sina Entertainment reported. According to Bruce Lee Enterprises, the company is the exclusive owner of all commercial merchandising and allied rights involving Bruce Lee, including his name, image, logos, and photographs.
A comparison of images used by the Kung Fu fast-food chain and photos of Bruce Lee. From @新浪娱乐 on Weibo
In a statement Thursday, the fast-food chain said it was “puzzled” by the lawsuit, adding that it has been using the logo for 15 years, after receiving approval from China’s national trademark office. Continue to read the full article here.
– This article originally appeared on Sixth Tone.
