What does the Hong Kong coffee manner case mean for brands?

A Hong Kong supermarket coffee shop called Maners is not a copy of mainland chain Manner. It is Manner's own Hong Kong store, renamed because another local company already holds the Manner trademark. The application was rejected and a review failed, so the name can still be used but carries no legal protection and future infringement risk.

The confusion ran both ways: netizens assumed they had spotted a knockoff and contacted Manner to report it, only to learn the brand already knew. The episode shows how coffee naming and overseas trademark planning can collide, leaving a brand trading under a slightly altered name that customers read as imitation.

Recently, a Hong Kong netizen spotted a coffee shop called "Maners" in a large local supermarket. Its logo, decor, and product posters closely resemble those of mainland Manner, and it even offers a "bring your own cup, get 5 yuan off" promotion, sparking suspicions of a knockoff. However, the truth is surprising—this store is actually Manner's official location in Hong Kong. Because the "Manner" trademark has already been registered by another Hong Kong company, Manner was forced to adjust its name and launch as "Maners." The trademark application was rejected and a review failed, and although it can currently continue to be used, it is not legally protected, posing future infringement risks. This renaming controversy not only caused fans to mistakenly attack the real brand, but also sounded a warning about trademark planning when brands go overseas.

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Recently, a Hong Kong netizen noticed a coffee shop suspected of being a "knockoff Manner" while shopping in a large local supermarket.

According to photos taken by the netizen, this store's brand identity, overall decoration style, and product promotional posters are highly similar to mainland Manner stores, and it even offers the same "bring your own cup, get 5 yuan off" discount, making it almost a complete replica of a Manner store. The only difference is that this store is called "Maners," and customers can easily mistake it for "Manner" if they are not careful.

This Manner store with a strong knockoff feel shocked Hong Kong netizens. The genuine Manner had not yet entered the market, but the imitation appeared first. "Is this a knockoff Manner? The spelling is different," "Fake... Manner," "No way, it's missing an n."

Many Manner fans spoke up for the brand after seeing it, feeling that this kind of high-imitation store should receive a lawyer's letter so it understands the consequences of using Manner's name to deceive people. Some netizens even worried that Manner did not know a high-imitation store had already appeared in Hong Kong, so they proactively contacted Manner to report their discovery and reminded Manner to actively protect its rights through legal channels .

But what these enthusiastic netizens did not expect was that Manner had actually known for a long time, because this coffee shop called "Maners" is precisely Manner's store in Hong Kong. They thought they were helping Manner seek justice, but it turned out to be an awkward misunderstanding.

In recent years, the number of Manner stores has risen rapidly, and Manner's white light-box signs can be seen in many places across the country. Hong Kong, with its mature coffee market, was naturally included in Manner's store expansion plan. Once the timing was right, it entered large supermarkets in Hong Kong so that local Manner fans could drink their favorite coffee right at their doorstep.

However, before entering Hong Kong, Manner discovered that "Manner" had already been registered by another Hong Kong company, so it could not use the "Manner" trademark within Hong Kong . Helpless, Manner could only be "forced to change its name," making certain adjustments based on the original trademark, which is why the light-box logo of the Hong Kong store today is the "Maners" that everyone sees.

According to Tianyancha, the "Maners" trademark was submitted for registration in November 2022, but the trademark registration application filed in March 2023 was rejected. Manner then submitted a trademark review as required, and the result was rejected again. Under trademark law, a trademark that has not passed registration can still continue to be used, so the sign of the Hong Kong store is still "Maners."

However, the unregistered "Maners" trademark is not protected by law, and Manner's continued use of it may expose it to the risk of infringing others' trademarks. Therefore, to avoid future legal disputes over trademark issues, Manner may redesign the "Maners" trademark and then submit a new trademark registration application.

But Manner's Hong Kong store, which has already been forced to change its name once, has led many consumers to mistake the real one for an imitation. If the current "Maners" is renamed again, by then posts saying "a knockoff Manner has opened in Hong Kong" may appear again.

Image source: Internet

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.