Castel trademark dispute not over in spite of court ruling

A second ruling from the Higher People's Court of Zhejiang province has not ended a prolonged trademark dispute between famous French vintner Castel Freres SAS and Panati Wine Co in Shanghai.

After losing the largest trademark suit in China's wine industry, Castel applied for a retrial to China's highest court, which accepted its appeal on Aug 8. Sometime within the next three months, it will decide if a retrial is needed, according to a report from the China Business Journal.

The prior verdict by the provincial court required Castel to pay compensation of nearly 34 million yuan ($5.6 million) to the plaintiff Panati Wine for infringement on its Chinese trademark "Kasite". But at a press conference at the end of last month, Yin Kai, president of Castel China, said the judgment has "deviated from the objective and fair stance".