China's "knockoff industry" is evolving beyond logos and products to copying even brands' histories and identities.
Recently, a shop called "Ichuran," which copied the famous Japanese tonkotsu ramen chain Ichiran, was found to be operating in the heart of Beijing, sparking controversy in Japan. According to local outlets including TV Asahi and TBS, the store virtually replicated Ichiran's kanji trade name and red circular logo design. The English spelling also changed only one letter from the original brand "ICHIRAN," labeling it "ICHRAN" by removing the letter "I." The founding year was altered from "Showa 35" to "Founding 65."
However, Ichuran completely denied any connection to Ichiran and questioned claims that the logos are the same. The Beijing store manager of Ichuran told Japan's FNN, "We have no relationship with Ichiran. How are the Ichiran logo and our logo the same?" The manager added, "If green, red and black are colors only Ichiran can use, then there is nothing more to say."
In Japan, criticism poured in, saying "anyone can see it's Ichiran" and "it's blatant copying." Ichiran's headquarters said, "There are no official stores in mainland China," urging consumer caution. It also said it is currently pursuing legal action.
In the retail sector, the case is seen as another example of China's characteristic "change one letter" knockoff culture. It takes the core design and brand image as is while tweaking only the spelling to evade responsibility.
Korean corporations also say they are suffering damage. In Changsha, Hunan province, China, a store called "Only Young (ONLY YOUNG)" opened that evokes Korea's largest beauty select shop, Olive Young. The store mimicked Olive Young with a green signboard and shopping bags, store interiors, and even product display methods. Last year, an operator was caught on a major domestic open market after deceiving consumers into ordering what appeared to be genuine Sulwhasoo cosmetics and then directly shipping more than 7,000 counterfeit items from China.
Samyang Foods' Buldak spicy ramyeon is also a representative victim. After Buldak spicy ramyeon became a global hit, copycat products using "Buldak" (火鷄麵) or "Buldak" as is appeared in China, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Some products were made with similar package colors and designs, leading consumers to mistake them for genuine goods. Samyang Foods has now registered trademarks in 88 countries worldwide but is engaged in trademark disputes in 27 countries.
Now even China is struggling with its own knockoff problem. As Chinese character corporations' Pop Mart's popular figure "Labubu" gained global popularity, similar products such as "Lapupu" and "Latutu" have been mass-produced in China. Authorities belatedly launched crackdowns, but observers say the counterfeit market has already grown out of control. In fact, intellectual property lawsuits handled by Chinese courts are known to exceed 550,000 annually.