Lao Ganma, the "national rice cooker", has made another move. Recently, the Qichacha App showed that Guiyang Nanming Laoganma Flavor Food Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Laoganma) has added multiple items for "Godson", "Laoganma", "Maganlao", "Laoaunt" and "Taolao" Trademark information such as "Godfather", the international classification involves scientific instruments, medicine, advertising and sales, catering and accommodation, building repair, etc. The application date is January 2021, and the current trademark status is "Trademark Application Pending". Laoganma also has "difficulties" behind registering these trademark names that amuse netizens.
After seeing the new trademark name Lao Gan Ma applied for this time, many netizens said it was "a bit strange". However, it is understandable that in order to protect the "Lao Gan Ma" trademark, many netizens also regarded Lao Gan Ma as The trademark registered by Godmother to prevent the "Lao Ganma" brand from being "approximated" is called a "moat". After all, even Alibaba has registered trademarks such as "Uncle Ali", "Grandma Ali" and "Sister Ali" in order to protect trademarks.
In fact, Lao Ganma also has "difficulties" in applying for these trademarks. Since the establishment of the brand, Laoganma has been involved in many legal disputes regarding trademarks. In March 2010, Laoganma filed a dispute application with the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board regarding Sichuannan Laoganma's "Sichuannanganma" trademark. However, the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board believed that the reasons for the dispute raised by Laoganma Company were untenable and maintained the Sichuannanganma trademark. . At Lao Gan Ma’s insistence, the court of second instance finally determined that “Sichuan Nan Gan Ma” and “Lao Gan Ma” constitute similar trademarks. In May 2017, the Beijing Higher People's Court made a final judgment on Guiyang Laoganma's lawsuit against Guizhou Yonghong Food for "Laoganma" trademark infringement, ordering Guizhou Yonghong Food to immediately stop using the word "Laoganma" and pay compensation. Guizhou Laoganma 601,500 yuan.
QiChacha App shows that Laoganma has two major shareholders, namely Li Miaoxing and Li Guishan, with shareholding ratios of 51% and 49% respectively. Not long ago, the company of the son of Tao Huabi, the founder of Laoganma, aroused heated discussions due to restrictions on high consumption. Li Guishan once participated in the investment in a real estate project that was unfinished and used Lao Gan Ma's marketing name when the project was launched. As a result, Lao Gan Ma's reputation was greatly negatively affected. In this regard, many netizens think that Li Guishan is too "cheating".
Over the years, no loans, no equity participation, no financing, and no listing have become the label of Lao Ganma. In 1997, Laoganma’s market value was only 14 million yuan. After more than 20 years of development, the company’s sales reached 5.023 billion yuan in 2019. Laoganma's official website shows that Laoganma's product categories have also expanded from black bean sauce to more than 20 categories such as hot pot base, tofu curd, and spicy dishes.
However, in recent years, many netizens feel that Lao Gan Ma has changed in taste and is not as delicious as before. In 2015, the first thing Li Miaoxing, the second son who officially became the head of Laoganma, did was to control raw materials and increase profit margins. He replaced Guizhou peppers with cheaper Henan peppers, changing the taste of the chili sauce from spicy to mild. , making everyone feel "less good at eating", which also affected Lao Gan Ma's reputation. In order to save the decline, 70-year-old Tao Huabi came out for the second time in 2019, exchanged Guizhou pepper raw materials and reformulated the formula, which allowed Lao Gan Ma to improve.
Lao Ganma, who has gone through ups and downs, "frequently registered" trademarks to consolidate the "moat" in order to protect the brand. Which aspect of Lao Gan Ma do you pay more attention to? (Wen Xiao)