Ikea wins China web battle

China's internet boom: Surfing the web in Beijing

By Rupert Wingfield-Hayes in Beijing

The Swedish furniture giant Ikea has won a landmark court battle in China, regaining the right to use the Ikea domain name for its Chinese website.

The domain name www.ikea.com.cn had been registered by a local Chinese company, but the Beijing Intermediate People's Court ruled the registration illegal and ordered the Chinese company to give it up.

The local Chinese company, Guowang Information, registered the Ikea domain name back in 1997.

Ikea employs some 50,000 people worldwide

During the court hearing, Guowang claimed that the "i" stood for "information" and that "kea" was the name of a bird. The judge, however, thought otherwise.

The Swedish furniture giant registered the Ikea name as a trademark in China more than 10 years ago.

The judge ruled that protection of trademarks should extend to use of them on the internet. He ordered Guowang to stop using the name and close down its website immediately.

Landmark case

The case is being seen as a landmark in China, where intellectual property right protection has often been inadequate.

Guowang and other Chinese companies have reportedly registered a host of famous Western brands as internet domain names in China.

The way should now be open for other foreign companies to claim back their domain names.

One question remains: will the court ruling actually be enforced? Three days after the ruling, Guowang's Ikea site remains up and running.