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BINASCO, Italy – Cimbali Group, an Italian company among the world’s leading manufacturers of professional espresso machines, through its subsidiary Seattle Espresso Machine Corporation, has won a lawsuit for unfair competition in China, resulting in four Chinese companies being sanctioned by a Shanghai Court of First Instance.
Cimbali Group: major victory against unfair competition in China
The Chinese civil court recognised that the four Chinese companies were producing and marketing a coffee machine that closely resembled the Slayer Espresso model, particularly with regard to some distinctive design and packaging elements.
This led to consumer confusion between the original Slayer Espresso coffee machine and the one produced and marketed by the counterfeit Chinese companies, creating an unfair competitive advantage to the detriment of Cimbali Group.
The judges in Shanghai recognised the design of the Slayer coffee machine as “influential” under Article 6 of China’s Unfair Competition Law and ordered the four Chinese companies to immediately cease the production and marketing of machines with designs and packaging that could be confused with the “Slayer” brand. They were also ordered to pay damages and legal fees.
Cases in which a foreign company succeeds in obtaining a favourable ruling in China against unfair competition from Chinese companies are extremely rare. Although this is a first-instance ruling subject to appeal, the decision of the Shanghai Court is particularly significant given the complexity of the Chinese legal context.
The recognition of legal protection for a B2B product is the first, and currently the only, successful case in the coffee equipment sector, which has seen several instances of counterfeiting in recent years. This outcome is therefore, even more significant in terms of intellectual property protection in the Chinese market.
The court ruling acknowledged that the unique combination of aesthetic elements of the Slayer Espresso machine (including the X-shaped side support and the combination of colours, shapes, and structures) represents a distinctive decoration, capable of unequivocally identifying the product and its origin.
Moreover, the notoriety of the design was also evaluated within the context of general market awareness in China, where the long period of use and the consistent presence of the brand (the “Slayer Espresso” coffee machine has been on the Chinese market since 2014) have created a strong association in the minds of industry professionals, establishing a stable connection that identifies the source of the products.
Along with the recognition of the design’s distinctive value, this ruling further strengthens Slayer’s competitive position in the Chinese market and confirms Cimbali Group’s commitment to defending the high-quality standards that have always defined the identity of its brands and products.
Cimbali Group will continue to invest in protecting its intellectual property, aware that the defence of originality and innovation is a constant commitment, essential to ensure quality and reliability for its customers, distributors, and partners worldwide.
About Cimbali Group
Cimbali Group is one of the leading manufacturers of professional coffee and milk-based beverage machines and cafe equipment.
The Group, which includes the brands LaCimbali, Faema, Slayer, and Casadio, operates through three production facilities in Italy and one in the United States (in Seattle, where Slayer-branded machines are manufactured), employing approximately 850 people in total. In 2019, with the acquisition of Keber, a leading brand for the production of professional steel grinders for the coffee industry based in Dolo (Venice), the Group’s manufacturing sites increased to five.
The Group’s commitment to spreading the culture of espresso coffee and enhancing the local area led to the establishment in 2012 of MUMAC – the Coffee Machine Museum, the first and largest permanent exhibition dedicated to the history, world, and culture of espresso machines, located within the Cimbali Group headquarters in Binasco. MUMAC houses MUMAC Academy, Cimbali Group’s coffee machine academy, a center for training, outreach, and research.
