Yahoo! loses rights to 'Ya Hu'

The Chinese affiliate of Yahoo!, the Web's most-visited portal, will have to share its phonetic equivalent in Mandarin. China's Ministry of Commerce has ruled that the trademark "Yah Hu" was properly registered in May 1997 by CD-ROM maker Yilong Electronic Corp. of Suzho (Xiangsu province). Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO) spokeswoman Jennifer Hwang says the ruling doesn't mean it can't use the characters for "Ya Hu," only that it has no exclusive rights. Yahoo! China reports that Yilong cited antique texts to defend its trademark, noting that in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), "Ya Hu," which means "elegant tiger," was the nickname of a leader known as Tang Boh. Full story (in French). -- Gilles Lespade, ZDNet France