The British Broadcasting Corporation has filed a lawsuit against a Chinese company for using its name to promote an English-learning app, according to a Beijing district court.
The trademark infringement lawsuit, announced Tuesday by a Haidian district court, accuses iYuba, a Beijing-based language learning firm, of unauthorized use of the "BBC" trademark on its apps, websites and social media.
The BBC is seeking 500,000 yuan ($79,837) in damages.
The app, called "BBC Learning English," had more than 250,000 downloads as of press time on Tencent's MyApp, one of China's largest Android app stores.
The BBC had contacted iYuba with numerous cease and desist letters. The Chinese company has yet to respond, according to the court.
The case is scheduled for further proceedings.
The BBC has successfully registered more than 400 trademarks in China since the 1980s, 60 of which contain the letters "BBC," the court notice read.
