Trouble Brewing: Alibaba Files Five Trademark Infringement Complaints Against the “Qianwen” WeChat Official Account

AIPress.com.cn reported on February 7 that a WeChat Official Account creator has taken to social media to complain about Alibaba filing trademark infringement complaints against the creator’s account name.

According to AI Press’ review, the creator’s WeChat Official Account named “Qianwen” was registered at least 11 years ago, and its most recent post dates back to 2015.

The creator argues that the situation feels upside down: Alibaba’s product later adopted the same name, yet Alibaba is now asserting that the older, previously registered Official Account is infringing—while repeatedly urging the WeChat platform to take action.

Reports indicate that Alibaba has been submitting infringement complaints against the account since November last year. However, each complaint has been rejected by WeChat. The latest complaint was filed on February 4 this year.

So how did WeChat respond this time?

Once again, WeChat denied Alibaba’s request. Based on publicly available information about platform rules, Official Account names are unique and generally follow a “first come, first served” principle, with emphasis on prior registration and prior use.

AI Press also found that Alibaba does hold a “Qianwen” trademark registration under Class 35, but the registration date appears to be significantly later than the Official Account’s registration.

From this perspective, the account’s registration predates the trademark; there is no clear indication of intentional confusion; there is no direct competitive relationship with Alibaba’s business; and there is no evidence of misleading the public.

In AI Press’ view, a more constructive path forward would be for Alibaba to communicate directly with the creator and offer reasonable compensation—allowing Alibaba to secure usage rights to the name through an amicable agreement, while also respecting the creator’s earlier claim to it.

As for Alibaba’s current “Qianwen” Official Account setup, it may not be ideal—but it remains a workable option.