The international Dow Jones & Co group, a cross-national media and information provider based in the United States, is being sued by Chinese calligrapher Guan Dongsheng for allegedly violating copyright.

The Beijing No 1 High People's Court is due to hold a special session tomorrow to hear the case, where the calligrapher is asking for compensation of 5 million yuan (US$602,400) for alleged economic and spiritual losses.

Sources with Dow Jones allegedly said the company had used Guan's calligraphy as a logo, the Beijing Youth Daily claimed yesterday. But the company allegedly said there was no evidence to prove Dow Jones had violated the calligrapher's copyright.

Guan, 53, a professor with the Central University of Nationalities, claimed: "In February 2002, I was astonished to find that, without my permission, Dow Jones had widely used part of one of my calligraphy works as a business logo on its websites, books and advertisements.''

The calligraphy work with a Chinese character, which means virtue in Chinese, was presented to Peter Kann, chairman and chief executive officer of Dow Jones & Co, as a gift in 1994, Guan alleged.

In English, the word 'Dow' has a similar pronunciation to that of the Chinese character"Dao".

Like all of his other Chinese calligraphy works, Guan added a few words as an inscription and affixed his seal to the work, he alleges.

"Dow Jones has violated my copyright by using the"Dao" as a business logo and omitted the inscription and seal of the original calligraphy,'' Guan claimed.

The lawsuit is aimed to awaken Chinese people's awareness of copyright protection, said Guan, who demands that Dow Jones stop its alleged copyright violation and make an apology, as well as pay compensation.

Legal experts say it is an unusual case, given a Chinese artist is suing a foreign company.

Dow Jones claimed there was no written agreement between itself and the calligrapher -- another person was on hand when Guan agreed to create the calligraphy work.

That means Dow Jones can use it in its business activities, it is alleged.

As payment, Dow Jones allegedly promised to pay Guan a relevant amount but the calligrapher refused, the Beijing Youth Daily claimed in its report.

Yesterday, Dow Jones postponed the release of its daily industrial index on which there was its usual"Dao" logo.

For technical reasons, Dow Jones will defer the transmission of its daily index, read a faxed note to China Daily with no logo on it.

Close

Today's Top News		Top Lifestyle News
+The next great leap after Shenzhou V ( 2003-10-21) +Hu calls for balanced development ( 2003-10-21) +Report: SARS not airborne virus ( 2003-10-21) +Japan urged to resolve weapons issue ( 2003-10-21) +Int'l AIDS group opens Beijing office ( 2003-10-21)		+Landmark Disney concert hall dedicated in Los Angeles ( 2003-10-21) +Growth of 30 percent Chinese babies impaired by lack of breast ( 2003-10-21) +Increasing tourists flock to Tibet ( 2003-10-21) +Hollywood actress-singer signs deal to produce TV talk ( 2003-10-21) +China urged to build up talent pool of financial mathematicians ( 2003-10-21)