In the ever-changing business world, trademark disputes have always been a focus of great attention. Recently, a 24-year-long dispute over the trademark rights of "MUJI" has finally come to an end. Recently, the Supreme People's Court, with the Administrative Ruling Document No. (2024) Supreme People's Court Administrative Application 7358, rejected the retrial application of a certain Japanese grocery store for the trademark rights of "MUJI", bringing to an end the 24-year-long trademark rights dispute between Beijing Miantian Technology Group Development Co., LTD. (hereinafter referred to as "Beijing Miantian").
The story began in the Hainan Special Economic Zone in the 1990s. At that time, while most people were engaged in the real estate or securities sectors, Ma Tao, the chairman of Beijing Miantian Group, took a different path. While laying out in biotechnology and electronic technology, he discovered the blank in the towel industry in Hainan and thus crossed over into the textile field. During a trip to Yunnan, the pad dyeing and batik techniques of ethnic minorities deeply touched him. He was reminded of Huang Daopo's textile innovation in Hainan and came up with the idea of creating "high-quality towels without dyeing and printing", which he named "MUJI".
In 2000, Ma Tao showcased a towel dyed with plants at the China Textile Expo. At that time, the leaders of the Ministry of Textiles and the president of the Home Textile Association suggested that he apply for a patent and trademark as soon as possible. Due to the underdeveloped Internet and information isolation at that time, Ma Tao specially went to the Trademark Office in April 2001 to handle the registration manually. Eventually, he spent 1,200 yuan to successfully register the trademark No. 1561046 "MUJI" in the towel and bed categories.
It is worth noting that the initial review of the "MUJI" trademark of a certain Japanese grocery store was on September 7, 2000, but it had not been announced by April 2001. Due to information barriers, the two sides were unaware of each other's brands. According to the book "Decoding MUJI" by the honorary president of the company, Tadashi Matsui, at that time, the company was heavily in debt and on the verge of bankruptcy.
Shortly after the trademark was registered, a Japanese grocery store raised an objection to the trademark of Beijing Miantian. Subsequently, the former State Trademark Office, the State Trademark Review and Adjudication Board, the First Intermediate People's Court of Beijing, and the Higher People's Court of Beijing successively made administrative rulings and final judgments. On June 29, 2012, the Supreme People's Court, after a retrial, confirmed that the trademark rights of China's "MUJI" on home textile products in class 24 were formed first, and the trademark authorization was legal and valid. The court rejected the retrial application of a certain Japanese grocery store.
However, a certain grocery store in Japan refused to comply with the effective judgment and continued to use the "MUJI" trademark on home textile products, constituting malicious infringement. It also initiated over a hundred related lawsuits, which greatly consumed judicial resources. Especially after MUji China won in 2012, the company continued to apply for the registration of similar trademarks. After going through eight procedures, nine cases and a 12-year negotiation, on June 23, 2025, the Supreme People's Court once again rejected its application, effectively maintaining the legal and valid registration status of the MUJI trademark in China.
Kong Lifang, the lawyer representing Beijing Miantian, pointed out that the long-term litigation has led to market confusion: "During the trademark opposition process from 2001 to 2012, Miantian Company was unable to promote normally. Meanwhile, Japanese enterprises that entered China in 2005 continuously infringed and used it, causing consumers to generally mistakenly believe that the 'MUji' in the home textile field originated from Japan." This ruling clarified the facts through legal documents.
After going through many ups and downs, Beijing Miantian has now grown into a leading player in the home textile industry. Relying on its historical evolution from the Hainan Nanhua Science and Technology Development Research Center, its "MUJI" brand has set up nearly 300 stores on online platforms such as Tmall and JD.com, and over 200 offline stores. In 2024, its revenue in the home textile field is expected to reach several billion yuan.
This protracted battle for rights protection has also brought profound enlightenment to China's private enterprises. Ma Tao shared at the media symposium on intellectual property practice for private enterprises hosted by the China Media Economic Association: "For China's economy to achieve sustainable development, it is essential to fully build and utilize intellectual property rights." We hope that through this case, more enterprises will realize the importance of trademark protection. He called on governments at all levels and courts to continuously optimize the business environment, safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of private enterprises, stimulate innovation vitality, and facilitate high-quality economic development. It is believed that more Chinese enterprises will, under the protection of the law, bravely defend their intellectual property rights and create more national brands with international influence.
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