Shanghai Yushengtang Beverage Co Ltd was recently found guilty of infringing on the patent rights of Jiangxi Hengda Mineral Water Co Ltd in an administrative case – tied in East China's Shanghai – related to a "barreled water bucket" patent design.

Jiangxi Hengda Mineral Water is the holder of the design patent for the barreled water bucket, which is still valid. It filed a complaint stating that Shanghai Yushengtang Beverage had manufactured and sold a large number of its Hengda Qingquan packaged drinking water products without permission, which fell within the scope of the protected patent.

Shanghai Yushengtang argued that the design of its water bucket product was neither similar nor the same as the patented design. The company also claimed that the production of the product was outsourced to a third party and so it was not responsible for the alleged infringement.

However, the Shanghai Intellectual Property Administration ruled that Shanghai Yushengtang did indeed infringe on the patent and ordered it to immediately cease manufacturing and selling the infringing products.

This case is said to highlight the importance of respecting intellectual property rights and the consequences that come with infringing on those rights.