【New Distribution News】As the 25th World Intellectual Property Day approaches, the century-old throat care brand Longjiao San (Ryukakusan) has achieved victories in two trademark enforcement lawsuits in the Chinese market. Recently, the Jinjiang City People's Court in Fujian Province issued a first-instance judgment in the "Long Jiao San" (咙角散) trademark infringement case, determining that Fujian Jiujiuwang Food Industry Co., Ltd. used a mark highly similar to "Longjiao San" without authorization, constituting infringement of its registered trademark rights. The court ordered the company to immediately cease the infringement and bear compensation liability. Meanwhile, the Zhuji City People's Court in Zhejiang Province ruled against Chao'an Buer Chen Food Technology Co., Ltd. and Ying Huahong, the former operator of an individual store, finding that they constituted trademark infringement and unfair competition, and ordered them to stop infringement and bear corresponding compensation. This is not the first time Longjiao San has won a trademark lawsuit. From the "Long no San" (龍の散) case against Hangzhou Hexi Industrial Co., Ltd. in 2018 to the recent two lawsuits involving "He Tao Run Hou Tang" (盒桃润喉糖) and "Long Jiao San" (咙角散), a series of successful enforcement cases are gradually outlining a trend: to protect brand and consumer rights, the FMCG industry is moving from a stage where early imitation was common and infringement costs were low, toward a more standardized and fair stage of orderly competition. At the same time, companies like Longjiao San, with a century-long history, are gradually establishing a more mature and systematic intellectual property defense system in the Chinese market. Infringement Facts Confirmed Court Orders "Long Jiao San" and Other Brands to Stop Infringement The core dispute in the Fujian Jiujiuwang Food Industry Co., Ltd. case was whether "Long Jiao San" (咙角散) constituted approximate infringement of the "Longjiao San" trademark. The court held that the plaintiff, Kabushiki Kaisha Ryukakusan, legally owns the registered trademarks "Longjiao San" and "龍角散," which are valid and have been used continuously in the Chinese market for many years, possessing high market recognition and stable consumer awareness. The mark "Long Jiao San" (咙角散) is highly similar in pronunciation and character form, and the goods are also in the same "candy" category, easily causing consumer confusion and misidentification. The infringement was established. Ultimately, the court ordered the defendant, Fujian Jiujiuwang, to stop infringement and pay compensation accordingly. (Image caption: Judgment in the Longjiao San enforcement case) Similarly, in the case against Chao'an Buer Chen Food Technology Co., Ltd. and Ying Huahong regarding "He Tao Run Hou Tang" (盒桃润喉糖), in addition to trademark infringement, it also involved unfair competition in packaging and decoration. The infringing products of Chao'an Buer Chen extensively imitated Longjiao San elements in packaging layout, color matching, and text arrangement, easily causing consumer confusion between the two products, constituting unfair competition. Additionally, Ying Huahong, the former operator of the individual store, used the "Longjiao San" trademark on shopping receipts without authorization when selling the involved throat lozenges, which clearly infringed on trademark rights. Given the above, the court found that Buer Chen and Ying Huahong constituted unfair competition and trademark infringement, respectively, and ordered them to stop sales and compensate for losses. These judgments not only provide clear legal support for authentic brands but also set clear rule boundaries for the market. As typical representatives of the frequent infringement chaos in the FMCG sector in recent years, these victories send a clear signal to the industry: brands are not something anyone can "borrow," and market order cannot tolerate ambiguous zones for long. From the process of determining infringement facts to the execution of court judgments, we can see the practical progress of intellectual property protection in the FMCG industry. For the entire industry, this is not just a victory in enforcement but also a collective reminder about the awareness of "brand boundaries." Why Has Longjiao San Become a Hot Target for Imitation in the Chinese Market? What makes Longjiao San, an overseas brand with pharmaceutical origins, a hot target for imitation in China's FMCG market? This starts with the brand's history. Longjiao San can be traced back to the Edo period, named for its original formula containing dragon bone, borneol, and deer antler cream, and its powdered form. In 1928, the Fujii family established Fujii Tokusaburo Shoten, which was renamed Kabushiki Kaisha Ryukakusan in 1964. The company has been dedicated to throat health care for over 200 years and is a household name in Japan for throat care. Public data shows that Longjiao San herbal throat lozenges have led sales in the Japanese throat lozenge market for 11 consecutive years. Adhering to the concept of "prevention before illness," Longjiao San's product line has expanded from traditional powders to OTC products like water-free granules and lozenges, daily care products such as Longjiao San throat lozenges, sugar-free throat tablets, and granule candies, as well as swallowing aid jellies, covering all scenarios from daily throat care to medical treatment, meeting the needs of different consumers. The brand's popularity in China stems from its well-regarded product efficacy and taste experience. Initially, many Japanese tourists were impressed by the moisturizing effect of Longjiao San products and spontaneously brought them back to China, spreading the word, including celebrities from films, TV dramas, and variety shows. To meet Chinese consumers' demand for timely access to authentic products, Longjiao San began vigorously expanding its presence in China, covering over 100,000 offline supermarkets and convenience stores, and opening brand stores on major domestic e-commerce platforms, making throat care possible anytime, anywhere. As observers familiar with the Chinese market, we see that "Longjiao San" is no longer an unfamiliar, niche foreign brand. With years of brand accumulation and quality products, it has successfully won the trust and recognition of Chinese consumers, gradually becoming a star brand in the throat care field. Therefore, it has attracted a large number of counterfeiters attempting to "hitch a ride" or "cling to the big brand." These counterfeiters imitate Longjiao San's appearance and trademark, trying to profit from the brand's influence. This undoubtedly disrupts normal market order and causes serious harm to the Longjiao San brand. However, anti-counterfeiting enforcement is ultimately about protecting consumers' right to know and personal rights, especially in the functional consumer goods sector, where product efficacy and safety directly relate to food safety and user experience. Counterfeit products often lack strict production and quality control, may use substandard raw materials, and when consumers purchase Longjiao San products to soothe their throats but are confused by imitations and buy counterfeit products, not only do they fail to achieve the effect, but they may even worsen throat discomfort. Therefore, Longjiao San's active enforcement actions are not only about defending its own intellectual property but also about safeguarding the rights and interests of consumers. Why Does the FMCG Industry Frequently Fall into the "Free-Riding" Trap? Extending to the industry level, it is not difficult to see that the FMCG sector has always been a "hard-hit area" for counterfeiting. On one hand, FMCG packaging updates rapidly, and product launch cycles are fast, with consumers often making quick, emotion-driven decisions, giving counterfeiters opportunities. On the other hand, especially on e-commerce platforms, the low barrier to product listing and short review chains allow counterfeit products to enter the market quickly at low cost, increasing pressure on authentic brands. However, when facing infringement, the industry generally encounters several major difficulties in enforcement:
First, the standards for determining infringement have ambiguous areas in practice, making evidence collection difficult;
Second, enforcement costs are high, requiring not only time and money but also facing long litigation cycles;
Third, for many small and medium-sized brands, due to "fear of trouble" or limited resources, they often choose to tolerate or settle privately even when infringed, further encouraging infringers' fluke mentality. Against this backdrop, Longjiao San's persistence in litigation and consecutive victories not only clears its own name but also provides a reference path for the industry: Through continuous, standardized, and public legal actions, on one hand, it effectively suppresses the spread of infringement; on the other hand, it gradually promotes the clarification of infringement determination standards through judicial precedents, securing more institutional protection space for authentic brands. It can be said that Longjiao San's enforcement practice is not just a case victory but also sends a positive signal to the industry—that legal enforcement can be efficient and feasible, not a high-cost, low-return "last resort." Protecting Brands Is Not Just a Corporate Matter Fundamentally, brand enforcement is not an isolated lawsuit; it protects the safety of corporate assets, the legitimate rights of consumers, and the trust foundation of the entire market ecosystem. In the FMCG industry, trademarks are not just "identity markers" but also the "core anchor" for building long-term brand value. They not only relate to corporate goodwill protection and market order but also, invisibly, provide a stable trust anchor for setting industry rules, purifying channels, and clarifying consumer choices. Brands like Longjiao San, through continuous and professional enforcement actions, are actually providing "institutional supplementation" for the entire market system—gradually clarifying ambiguous boundaries and promoting the FMCG industry toward a more standardized and trust-based development stage. We also call on more enterprises to establish risk identification and prevention mechanisms for intellectual property, fostering an industry atmosphere of "brand co-governance." At the same time, we encourage consumers and channel partners to identify authentic products and support genuine brands, jointly creating a more transparent, fair, and trustworthy consumption environment. 【Official Authorized Channel Reminder】 Online Purchase Channels: To protect consumer rights and market order, it is recommended that distributors recognize Longjiao San's official offline authorized channels:
- Shenzhen China Resources Sanjiu Medical & Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Address: 5th Floor, Science Comprehensive Building, Guanlan China Resources Sanjiu Industrial Park, Longhua District, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province Email: JUJUN9@999.com.cn
- Dahe Supply Chain Management (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. Address: Room B911, Building 7, Shenzhen Bay Science and Technology Ecological Park, No. 1819 Shahe West Road, High-tech Zone Community, Yuehai Street, Nanshan District, Shenzhen WeChat: taiga-yichibu Email: nakamura@taiga88.com For authenticity inquiries, distribution cooperation, or anti-counterfeiting reports, please contact the above official channels to verify authenticity and avoid purchasing unauthorized products.