Chinese company claims “Happy Birthday” as trademark

The words .Happy Birthday. can no longer be legally used if they are pinned to any other product, as a private Chinese company has claimed to have registered them as its trademark in 25 countries, including the US, Japan and European Union members this month.
The Fufeng toy plant in East China.s Anhui province said it has more than 70 products with the .Happy Birthday. brand, including industries like toys, dresses, shoes and hats. With increasingly fierce competition in the world toy market, the company realised the importance of branding.