Medalists' names not commodities: China Daily editorial

Quan Hongchan won overnight fame as well as a gold medal when she attained perfect scores in the 10-meter platform diving competition in the Tokyo Olympic Games. 

Her innocence and frankness when being interviewed added to her appeal and have made the mad rush by both individuals and companies to cash in on her popularity all the more distasteful. 

There has been an unsavory scramble among individuals and companies to try and trademark the name of the 14-year-old.

And she is not the only victim of such cynical exploitation. There have also been similar attempts to profit on the success of other Olympic gold medalists.

Is it moral to apply to register other people's names as trademarks? Isn't it a violation of people's rights to their own names? Is it legitimate to make such applications without getting the individuals' permission? Shouldn't sportsmen and sportswomen be able to benefit from their achievements? 

While most audiences are overjoyed to see these athletes achieve success at the highest level, there are some who simply see them as cash cows to be milked for as long as their fame lasts.

If their trademark applications were to be accepted, the fame won by the individuals through their own efforts would be transferred to the trademark holders who would gain unmerited publicity for themselves.

What a wonderful deal for them!

However, they forget that their applications are illegitimate, according to the law. 

The National Intellectual Property Administration released a document in March to crack down on such malicious trademark applications. The document also requires that such ill-intentioned applications should be kept in the national credit rating system.

When some trademark agent companies on behalf of seven companies applied for the registration of Huoshenshan or Leishenshan, the names of two makeshift hospitals for treating novel coronavirus patients in Wuhan, as trademarks in March 2020, they were punished for the malicious registration of trademarks. 

It is obvious that such unscrupulous behavior has not only infringed on the lawful rights and interests of those who labored to construct the hospitals in record time and those who worked in them on the frontline against the virus, it is also a waste of public resources. 

In addition, such malicious applications, if approved, will set bad examples for others, and thus cause damage to social morals. 

So severe punishment needs to be meted out to let the applicants know that their wrongdoing is beyond the pale and to deter others. Cracking down on such violations should serve as a reminder that good business ethics are important. 

Those who are trying to vicariously cash in on sporting excellence have no chance of hitting the jackpot.