273 Chinese Companies Have Unauthorized Trademarks On Elon Musk's Name: Report

Elon Musk’s ascension to the position of the world's richest man has been noticed by China’s small business sector, which seems to believe the Tesla Inc TSLA chief’s good fortune can rub off on them.

What Happened: According to an AsiaOne report analyzing data from the Chinese tech news portal ithome.com, 273 companies in China have trademarked either a brand or product using Musk's name or the Chinese version of his name.

The first affirmed case of Musk’s name appearing in a Chinese trademark occurred in 2015 when a printing company in the Zhejiang province used his name for one of its products.

In southern China, a textile company in Guangzhou has registered one trademark that features Musk's name both in English and Chinese. Since then, a diverse range of small businesses including restaurants, advertising and design agencies and fashion houses have incorporated his name into their work.

Perhaps the most notable of Musk-mania is the Hainan-based Ai Long Ma Si Ke Science and Technology Company — the company name is a five-character literal translation of “Elon Musk.”

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What Else Happened: Musk, who opened his first Tesla factory in China in 2018, has yet to publicly comment on the unauthorized misappropriation of his name. However, he is not the first prominent figure from across the Pacific to be trademarked by Chinese businesses.

During Barack Obama’s presidency, more than 20 Chinese companies registered trademarks featuring his name. NBA icon Michael Jordan had his name used in the trademark for a Fujian-based sportswear company, but unlike Musk and Obama he fought the company in China’s court system and scored a legal victory last year after a nine-year fight.

Photo: Haddad Media / Flickr Creative Commons.