In business operations, company names and trademarks are both critically important. A company name identifies the market entity, while a trademark distinguishes the source of goods and services. With growing market competition, some entities attempt to register other company’s trademark or trade name as part of their own company name, in order to mislead consumers and gain unfair interest. To address such misconduct, possible legal remedies include sending a C&D letter to request modify the infringing company name, filing an AMR complaint, or initiating civil litigation, etc. In practice, filing an AMR complaint has proven to be a fast and effective strategy. This article uses several successful cases involving Caleres, Inc. to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach.

Caleres, Inc. founded in 1878, which is a global footwear company operating retail shoe stores and e-commerce websites. Caleres owns numerous brands, and 娜然(NA-RAN, NATURALIZER in Chinese) is one of their key brands. This brand was established in 1927, which is a fashion brand built specifically for women’s footwear, boasting nearly a century of history and leading market coverage and influence.

As a global footwear company with over 140 years of history, Caleres’ trademarks and trade names carry substantial goodwill and market recognition. In China, its core brand 娜然(NA-RAN, NATURALIZER in Chinese) is highly regarded for its fashion style and quality. However, as the brand’s reputation has grown, more and more instances of infringement began to appear in the market. 

In 2025, during market monitoring, we discovered that several companies use 娜然(NA-RAN, NATURALIZER in Chinese) or 卡雷斯 (KA-LEI-SI, Caleres in Chinese) as their company names, which identical to Caleres' registered trademark/trade name. These companies were competitors of Caleres in the footwear and bags industry. Their infringing company names can easily mislead and cause confusion on the public into believing there are some business relationships among Caleres and these companies. 

Chang Tsi & Partners, as Caleres' legal service provider in China, conducted a comprehensive investigation and analysis, and suggested Caleres to resolve the above infringements by filing AMR complaints as a powerful and efficient step. The results speak for themselves: the complaints against multiple companies were all successful. Following the actions, these companies either changed their names or directly canceled their legal entities. For the details, please refer to the follows:

Significance:

These successful cases highlight the advantages of AMR complaints as an efficient legal tool, strengthen Caleres' trademark protection, set a strong example of legal practice, and serve as a deterrent to potential infringers. The newly amended Anti-Unfair Competition Law provides clearer legal grounds for handling such matters.

1. An Efficient and Forceful Legal Measure: In dealing with company name infringement, AMR complaints offer efficiency and directness. Intervention by the local AMR allows cases to be resolved quickly, avoiding protracted litigation processes and saving companies' valuable time and resources. Caleres' successful cases are strong proof of this.
2. Enhanced Protection for Trademarks and Trade Names: Through AMR complaints and other legal measures, we effectively safeguarded Caleres' trademark and trade name rights, prevented market confusion and unfair competition, and reduced the risk of dilution of its prior rights. The successful application of this legal measure strengthened the brand's reputation in the Chinese market and further cemented its standing in consumers' minds.
3.  A Warning Signal: These cases have a deterrent effect on potential infringers. Caleres’ legal actions send a clear message to the market: business entities must comply with intellectual property laws & regulations and avoid infringing on others' legitimate rights. This warning not only protects Caleres' brand but also encourages greater industry-wide respect for intellectual property, prompting more companies to proactively standardize their company naming and trademark usage.
4.  Setting a Legal Practice Example and Promoting Fair Competition: These cases offer an effective solution to similar cases with trademark and trade name infringement issues, setting a positive precedent in legal practice. By successfully defending its rights, Caleres provided other business entities with a practical reference for handling comparable disputes. The success of these actions not only preserved Caleres' interests but also helped improve market order and promote fair competition.

Using another party's registered trademark as the distinctive part in a company name is likely to cause public confusion and misunderstanding, and constitutes a typical act of unfair competition. The newly amended Anti-Unfair Competition Law of China (Revised in 2025) has further clarified that: "Using without authorization another person's registered trademark or unregistered well-known trademark as the trade name in an enterprise name, or setting another person's product name, enterprise name (including an abbreviation or trade name), registered trademark, or unregistered well-known trademark, among others, as a search keyword, thereby misleading the public into believing that the goods are those of another person or have a specific connection with another person, shall be deemed an act of confusion as specified in the preceding paragraph." Such behavior is prohibited by law as an unfair competition practice. The newly amended Law thus provides a clearer and stronger legal basis for addressing trademark and trade name infringement cases like those involving Caleres.

All in all, as laws continue to improve and awareness around intellectual property protection grows, business entities will be better able to safeguard their rights while contributing to a more orderly market environment. Caleres' success not only protects its own brand, but also serves as a positive driver for the entire industry. With joint efforts from both the law and business entities, China's intellectual property protection landscape will become more robust, and the framework for fair market competition will be further strengthened—providing a solid foundation for the sustainable growth of enterprises.