By Bao Wanxian (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-12-03 11:18

As a 150-year-old brand, Goubuli is famous across China and even known to many foreigners.

Goubuli's store in Beijing's Wangfujing snack street. As a 150-year-old brand, Goubuli is famous across China and even known to many foreigners. There is a saying that "if you haven't tasted Goubuli steamed buns in Tianjin you have not truly been to Tianjin". [newsphoto]

There is a saying that "if you haven't tasted Goubuli steamed buns in Tianjin you have not truly been to Tianjin".

But when the maker of the time-honored brand planned to expand overseas, it suffered a surprising setback.

The trademark for the Goubuli brand, valued at 757 million yuan, had already been registered by a Japanese company in 1993.

"We lost our rights in Japan and that action was harmful for our plan to expand the Goubuli brand and export our product," says Wei Xianbo, intellectual property consultant of the Tianjin Goubuli Catering (Group) Co.

After extensive negotiations, Goubuli recovered the trademark in a settlement and registered its own brand in Japan in November.

"It was a landmark success for old and famous brands to reclaim their rights in overseas markets," says Zhou Xueqian, head of general affairs of Goubuli.

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