Guangzhou-based Quna.com has announced that it has briefed a lawyer to file a trademark opposition application against Qunar.com, a travel site operated by a Beijing Internet company.
According to Quna.com's press release, it registered the domain name "Quna.com" on June 6, 2003, which is the Chinese Pinyin of the word "where". However, Qunar.com was registered on May 9, 2005, which is two years later that Quna.com. Under Article 31 of Trademark Law of China, entities should not attempt to use prior registration to preempt the use of a domain name that has been in regular use.
According to Quna.com, "Quna" is not only the Chinese of the domain name of the appellant, but is also the registered company name of the appellant. It has gained the approval of the Guangzhou Administration for Industry and Commerce, and the operation of Quna.com is within its business scope.
Furthermore, Quna.com is of the opinion that the camel icon used in Qunar.com's trademark is quite similar to the trademark of the U.S. cigarette brand "Camel" which has already been registered in China.
Quna.com was launched in late June of 2009 as a lifestyle and travel search engine. It has obviously copied the operating model and the website design of Qunar.com, which has become a well-known online travel media platform in China.
