Trademark for Wilber Pan's streetwear brand name annulled

​Taiwanese singer-actor Wilber Pan and Chinese presenter Nic Li founded streetwear brand MLGB in 2010 together. Since then, the brand has been doing business in China, with its name trademarked in the country.

However, in 2015, four lawyers filed a lawsuit opposing the trademark of the name of MLGB, stating that the streetwear brand’s name erodes China’s social values.

It is understood that Wilber and Nic had derived MLGB’s name from an English phrase, “My Life’s Getting Better”. However, MLGB is also a popular abbreviation for a swear word in China, particularly amongst the online community.

In a court ruling first passed down in 2016, the brand’s trademark was found to be offensive. Thus, it had to be annulled. However, MLGB appealed against the decision.

Yesterday (March 4), the Beijing Municipal High People’s Court upheld the 2016 ruling. In their final judgement, the courts mentioned that the brand had also sought to trademark another Chinese swear word. Thus, it was apparent that the brand’s promotions were in poor taste, and harmful to social morality.