New Balance wins US$1.5m trademark ripoff suit against China's New Barlun

US shoe company New Balance has been awarded 10.8 million yuan (US$1.5 million) in a lawsuit in Shanghai over a trademark dispute with the Chinese company, Xinhua reports.

The Chinese company New Barlun (China) Company was found to have produced a large number of shoes bearing the signature slanted “N” logo, which was identical to the trademark filed by New Balance, according to the Pudong New Area people's court.

The act had infringed the trademark rights of New Balance, according to the judgment announced on Thursday.

New Barlun was ordered to stop the unfair competition, make a public statement to eliminate the impact and compensate for the economic losses of 10 million yuan plus lawsuit costs of 800,000 yuan to the U.S. company, the judgment said.

In recent years, China has been tougher on trademark infringements, handing down hefty fines, to protect the legal rights of both Chinese and Foreign companies.