Frederick Warne applauds the Beijing Xicheng District Administration Of Industry and Commerce's commitment to the protection of international intellectual property rights

London, UK, August 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Frederick Warne & Co., a subsidiary of Penguin Books Limited, welcomes the decision from the Beijing Xicheng District Administration of Industry and Commerce's ruling to protect and assert Frederick Warne's trademarks following the discovery of unauthorised editions of The Original Peter Rabbit Books™, published by Social Science Press, Beijing, China.

The ruling was made with the full support of the State Administration of Industry and Commerce, which issued a written document confirming trademark infringement, and the City Administration for Industry and Commerce.

Frederick Warne & Co. would like to thank the Administration for Industry and Commerce for its handling of this case and extend a special thanks to the Xicheng District Administration for Industry and Commerce.

Sally Floyer, Managing Director of Frederick Warne & Co. said:

"We are very satisfied with the outcome and we would like to thank the Beijing Xicheng District Administration of Industry and Commerce in Beijing for their tireless efforts in pursuing this matter. The decision of the Beijing Xicheng District Administration of Industry and Commerce upholds and guarantees Frederick Warne's rights. We appreciate the Chinese Government's commitment to the protection of international intellectual property rights."

Frederick Warne & Co. owns all the rights to The Original Peter Rabbit Books™ internationally, and have been licensing The World of Beatrix Potter™ merchandise in China for the past four years.

Kate Mulrenan, of Rouse & Co. International and Professor August Zhang, senior lawyer with Beijing Jieding Trademark Consultants, who represented Frederick Warne in this matter said:

"This is a great result for Frederick Warne. We would like to thank the Administration of Industry and Commerce for their hard work. Their assistance in this case has been invaluable."

ABOUT FREDERICK WARNE AND THE WORLD OF BEATRIX POTTER™

The Tale of Peter Rabbit was first published by Frederick Warne in 1902. The book immediately sold thousands of copies and went on to become one of the best selling children's stories ever written.

Born in London in 1866, Beatrix Potter was educated at home by a governess and kept a menagerie of pets for company. Beatrix taught herself about drawing and painting by watching her animals carefully and sketching them as realistically as she could. Family holidays in the country taught her to respect and understand the natural world.

When Beatrix was 27 she wrote an illustrated letter about one of her rabbits, Peter, to a little boy called Noel Moore.

More picture letters followed and the children who received them were so thrilled by these charming stories that eventually she decided to try to have one published.

Beatrix Potter wrote 23 books in The Original Peter Rabbit Books™ series between 1902 and 1930, and Peter Rabbit, Tom Kitten, Jemima Puddle-duck and their friends have continued to delight ever since.

At the age of 47 Beatrix married William Heelis, a country solicitor, and spent the latter part of her life dedicated to farming and conservation in the English Lake District. Her twin legacies are the 4,000 acres of land she left to The National Trust and the books she wrote, the rights in which she passed to Frederick Warne.

In 1984, Penguin Books Limited acquired Frederick Warne & Co. Limited, Beatrix Potter's publisher since 1902, and Peter Rabbit titles are now published in 35 languages and 110 different countries worldwide.

Frederick Warne & Co. is the owner of all rights, copyrights and trademarks in the Beatrix Potter character names and illustrations.

Information about the Penguin Group (UK) is available on http://www.penguin.co.uk/

Note to Editors: If you are interested to receive further background information on Frederick Warne, the company; brand and merchandising information on The World of Beatrix Potter™; or images of Peter Rabbit™, please contact Frederick & Co. International Press Office.

SOURCE Frederick Warne and Co.