Popular Internet-Famous Milk Tea Chain Deer Village Spends 100 Million to Crack Down on 7,000 Counterfeit Stores!

There was a time when an entire street was lined with bubble tea shops from end to end. A stylish urbanite held CoCo in their hand, and just a few steps away, another fashionable person was also holding CoCo. However, upon closer inspection of the packaging, it became apparent that the two CoCo drinks were different - there were "impostors" among them. Some brands with only about 100 legitimate stores found themselves facing over 7,000 counterfeit ones, catching many office workers seeking their afternoon beverage completely off guard.

Many people have likely had this experience: what appears to be the same brand tastes completely different. Some ambitious office workers, inspired by a particularly delicious milk tea, might even search online for franchise opportunities with that brand. When the taste doesn't match the authentic product, consumers naturally choose not to return. As franchisees, these entrepreneurs lose repeat customers, and unwilling to give up halfway, they struggle to keep their businesses afloat, ultimately losing hundreds of thousands of yuan, and in some cases, even over a million yuan.

Many of these deceived franchisees fell victim to their online searches and trust in false information. Searching for "brand name + franchise" yields numerous results, and if potential franchisees don't carefully examine the information presented, they're highly likely to fall for scams.

For example, when searching "Heytea franchise," one particular result appears on the first page, even featuring "Heytea HEYTEA Official Website" text and a URL containing "hey-tea."

Clicking through reveals a changed URL but a website highly similar to the authentic Heytea site, with text mentioning "Heytea HEYTEA" below. However, people often overlook subtle details. Upon closer inspection of the image, one can discover that the drink cup bears "HEEKCAA" - clearly not the authentic Heytea name.

Trademark Infringement Cases

Yesterday, CCTV Economics reported on related trademark infringement cases. One woman wanted to franchise a milk tea brand but failed to identify that she was dealing with a "counterfeit" franchisor. After opening her store, she lost customers due to different tastes and could only struggle to keep the business running. The equipment provided by the "counterfeit" franchisor was of extremely poor quality, with issues such as leaks and breakages.

More than a year after opening her bubble tea shop, a phone call from the authentic franchisee revealed that she had actually franchised a "counterfeit" brand. By that time, she had already lost over a million yuan. After contacting the legitimate brand, she replaced raw materials, equipment, and other essentials. Subsequently, her store's business turned from loss to profit.

The Deer Alley Brand Case

The milk tea brand "Deer Alley" mentioned in the report opened its first store in mainland China in early 2017 but didn't apply for trademark registration until September. During this period, counterfeit stores opened much faster than authentic ones, with 114 direct stores facing over 7,000 "counterfeit" outlets at one point. After obtaining the trademark, the brand began anti-counterfeiting actions, but due to the enormous number of fake stores, the cost of combating counterfeits reached approximately 100 million yuan.

Public Reaction

Some netizens were shocked by these incidents, unable to believe that the milk tea they usually drink was actually fake. Others claimed they had identified them as counterfeits long ago.

Such infringement incidents occur frequently. Heytea, a well-known brand, was initially called "Royal Tea" but was forced to rebrand to its current name "Heytea" due to rampant counterfeiting.

Consumers simply want a delicious cup of milk tea, regardless of whether it's from a famous brand. However, the taste of "counterfeit" products is off-putting, ultimately harming the authentic brand's reputation. Today, spending 100 million yuan on anti-counterfeiting efforts has garnered significant attention from netizens. Perhaps in the future, office workers' delicious life-sustaining beverages will be better protected.

Image Source & Additional Information

Image Source: Internet

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