A Chinese businessman has triggered outrage over his plan to register the name of China's most famous basketball player, Yao Ming, as a trademark for a women's sanitary napkin. The application has sparked vigorous opposition from the Houston Rockets center's business team and anger among Yao's fans, Xinhua news agency said.
"This kind of registration is obviously malicious," the report quoted Lu Hao, a member of Yao's business team, as saying.
"It's unbelievable that someone could do such a thing... we are going to oppose this proposal."
Businessman Xiao Senwen, from southern China's Guangdong Province, submitted the application and is seeking the trademark for a range of products including sanitary pads, diapers, sportswear, beer and metalware, the report said.
The registration has the preliminary approval of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, but needs to pass a three-month public notification period before final approval can be granted, it said.
According to Chinese trademark regulations, newly registered brands take immediate effect if no objection is submitted, Xinhua said.
The application has generated widespread opposition in Internet chatrooms, the report said.
"It is a very indecent exploitation of our favorite basketball player," said one message on Tom.Com.
"It's selfish because the businessman is pursuing profit at the expense of a celebrity's image," said another.
In July, another Chinese businessman tried to register condoms and other contraceptive products using the brand name of China's state-run television station CCTV-1 but his request was turned down.
