Creator of “Onion Head” Lost Trademark Suit.

The creator of “Onion Head”, Ethan Liu, a Taiwanese artist, said that he created “Onion Head” six years ago and it was later used as a popular MSN emoticon (an anthropomorphic onion, also known as “Onion Tou”).  Since then, Onion Head has taken over the online world and become so ubiquitous that Ethan Liu began cooperation with Full Tone Art Co., Ltd., a Hong-Kong based design company (hereinafter “Full Tone Art”), to also garner offline fame by developing more related products of Onion Head.  The two former business partners now face a legal action for trademark dispute.

According to Ethan Liu, Full Tone Art outflanked him in registering “Onion Head” character as a trademark without his prior consent, for which Ethan Liu filed an administrative lawsuit with Taiwan IP Court.  (under docket 99-Xing-Shang-Su No. 150 at IP Court).

The judge of IP Court reasoned a judgment in favor of Full Tone Art that Ethan Liu failed to produce any evidence proving that the documents indicating his consent to Full Tone Art’s trademark registration was forged nor the judgment confirming Full Tone Art’s infringement upon his copyright.  (2011.01)
/CCS