--- description: A Chinese company, Zhujiang Beverage, has been told it can no longer use the words "face book" in its branding title: Facebook Wins Chinese Trademark Case image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfcec5d0acb82e434/69889260a988ca05886b7c31/rtx1s5nn.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # A Chinese Court Has Ruled That a Drinks Company Can't Use 'Face Book' as a Trademark by [Simon Lewis](/author/simon-lewis/) ## Simon Lewis Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 9, 2016 8:27 AM CUT  Chinese President Xi Jinping. left, talks with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at Microsoft's main campus in Redmond, Wash., on Sept. 23, 2015 Chinese President Xi Jinping. left, talks with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at Microsoft's main campus in Redmond, Wash., on Sept. 23, 2015Reuters by [Simon Lewis](/author/simon-lewis/) ## Simon Lewis Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 9, 2016 8:27 AM CUT A Chinese company [has been told](http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2016/05/09/facebook-wins-a-trademark-battle-in-china/ "undefined") it can no longer use the words _face book_ in its branding, in a rare favorable court ruling for a U.S. company that comes after extensive efforts by Facebook to court Chinese officials. The _Wall Street Journal_ reports that the Beijing Higher People’s Court announced it had revoked approval for Zhujiang Beverage — which makes flavored milk drinks and porridge — to use the name. Arguing against the court’s decision, the company’s marketing manager told the _Wall Street Journal_ that the Chinese translation of the words _face book_ — _lian shu_ — referred to masks used in traditional Chinese opera. “_Lian shu_ is something very Chinese,” said Liu Hongqun. The country’s trademark regulator may still revisit the decision, but it appears to be a victory for Facebook. The social network remains blocked to Internet users in the Chinese Communist Party–ruled nation, but founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has made [efforts](http://time.com/4265665/china-facebook-mark-zuckerberg-great-firewall/ "undefined") to ingratiate himself with Chinese officials, including by recently braving the notorious Beijing smog to take a [run](http://time.com/4263917/mark-zuckerberg-china-smog-facebook-tiananmen/ "undefined") in front of the gates of the Forbidden City. Other American companies have not had Facebook’s luck in China. A firm making handbags just [got the go-ahead](http://time.com/4317444/apple-iphone-china-name-rights-trademark/ "undefined") to keep using the name “iPhone” on its products, despite registering the trademark in 2007, five years after Apple did. \[[_WSJ_](http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2016/05/09/facebook-wins-a-trademark-battle-in-china/ "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4322501/china-facebook-trademark-zuckerberg-zhujiang/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4322501/china-facebook-trademark-zuckerberg-zhujiang/"},"headline":"A Chinese Court Has Ruled That a Drinks Company Can't Use 'Face Book' as a Trademark","datePublished":"2016-05-09T08:27:27.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:49:57.654Z","description":"Other American companies have not had much luck when it comes to trademark protection in China","url":"https://time.com/4322501/china-facebook-trademark-zuckerberg-zhujiang/","keywords":["Tech","facebook","China","Mark Zuckerberg"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfcec5d0acb82e434/69889260a988ca05886b7c31/rtx1s5nn.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Simon Lewis","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/simon-lewis/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfcec5d0acb82e434/69889260a988ca05886b7c31/rtx1s5nn.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) talks with Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg during a gathering of CEOs and other executives at Microsoft's main campus in Redmond, Washington","caption":"Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) talks with Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg during a gathering of CEOs and other executives at Microsoft's main campus in Redmond, Washington","creditText":"Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4322501/china-facebook-trademark-zuckerberg-zhujiang/","name":"A Chinese Court Has Ruled That a Drinks Company Can't Use 'Face Book' as a Trademark"}}]}] ```