China has fined five copycat Disney hotels less than a month after regulators pledged unprecedented special treatment to the entertainment group to help its battle against counterfeiters.
The US company is far from the first to face copyright and trademark issues in China. In August, a fake Goldman Sachs investment bank was found operating in Shenzhen, a manufacturing boomtown bordering Hong Kong.
But Disney managed to secure backing from the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, which regulates the consumer goods trade. Last month the SAIC promised a “special operation” complete with emergency teams to help protect Disney trademarks and actively monitor online sellers for fakes.