[Intl-tobacco] Monks Win Lawsuit Against Cigarette Factory (fwd)

[Robert Weissman]

Monks Win Lawsuit Against Cigarette Factory
by XINHUA via NewsEdge
Source: NewsEdge, Monday, 1/10/00

NANJING (Jan. 7) XINHUA via NewsEdge Corporation - Monks of the Daming
Temple in Yangzhou City of east China's Jiangsu Province recently won a
lawsuit against a factory making "Daming Temple" brand cigarettes, and the
factory must pay 20,000 yuan in compensation for infringement of the
temple name, according to a court ruling.

The use of the temple name as trade mark for cigarettes is regarded as an
offense against Buddhist practices, which forbids smoking.


The temple's monks were unable to negotiate with the Laifeng Cigarette
Factory privately and were forced to resort to the court.


The cigarette factory, based in Hubei Province, central China, began to
produce "Daming Temple" cigarettes last year.


The 1,000-year-old Daming Temple is considered one of China's most
important Buddhist sites, enjoying high prestige among Buddhists in China
and abroad.