Playboy is suing three Chinese companies which it accuses of using its famous bunny logo on its products, Chinese state media has reported.
The entertainment firm - most famous for its glamour magazines - wants damages of $68,000 plus an apology from each firm, the China Daily said.
It is also seeking compensation from a salesman who sold shirts with the Playboy logo to a department store.
One of the companies is called Pearlboy - Chinese for "new Playboy".
It is being asked to stop using the logo and to change its name to something that is not "the same or similar" to Playboy.
Trademark violation
Copyright abuse and other infringements of intellectual property are among the main grievances which foreign companies operating in China have.
Earlier this year, Starbucks won a two-year year legal fight in after a court found that a local coffee store chain had violated its trademark.
A Shanghai court concluded that Chinese firm Xingbake had infringed the US firm's rights by using a Chinese name and logo similar to that of Starbucks.
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