"Zhongyuan Petrochemical" copies Sinopec, hiding many sinister intentions behind a single character difference | Beijing News Quick Review

▲ Customers expose “Zhongyuan Petrochemical” for being too similar to “Sinopec.” Photo / Jimu News

When driving to a gas station, you might think you’ve entered Sinopec, but it could actually be Zhongyuan Petrochemical.

Recently, a netizen from Hebei posted, “I was careless; this is too similar to Sinopec!” Jimu News reporters noticed that the images shared by the netizen show that “Zhongyuan Petrochemical” has a red background with white letters, the letters spell “SNOPEC,” which is only one letter different from Sinopec’s similarly styled red and white logo, missing just one “I.” If you don’t look closely, it is indeed easy to confuse. A staff member from the gas station claimed he has been operating the station for over ten years under this name, that he has a business license, and that the name was approved. Staff from the Luquan District Market Supervision Administration stated they would send someone to investigate on-site.

According to the staff member at the gas station, a name that has been used for over a decade suddenly becoming an issue today seems a bit unfair. However, upon closer inspection of the gas station’s appearance, the intent to deceive is quite evident.

From the color scheme of the sign to the details of the logo, the gas station in question bears a high degree of similarity to state-owned enterprise brands. This resemblance is hard to dismiss as a coincidence; it appears more like an attempt by the operator to attract customers by exploiting drivers’ habits of making “quick glances” while refueling with a “one-letter difference.”

Such behavior essentially constitutes a form of unfair competition akin to “free-riding,” which not only infringes on the registered trademark rights of legitimate brands but also disregards consumer rights to information and choice.

The Anti-Unfair Competition Law clearly states that “unauthorized use of signs that are identical or similar to the product names, packaging, or decoration of others with a certain influence” and “other confusing behaviors that are sufficient to mislead consumers into believing they are products of others or that there is a specific relationship with others” are considered unfair competition.

The Trademark Law also explicitly states that “using a trademark similar to a registered trademark on the same type of goods without permission from the trademark registrant” constitutes an infringement of trademark rights.

However, such imitation behaviors continue to persist. Previously reported issues regarding counterfeit gas stations are numerous, with names like “Zhongwei Petrochemical,” “Zhonggu Petrochemical,” “Shengguo Petrochemical,” and “Zhongkuo Petrochemical,” which create misleading impressions through their high textual similarity; some claim to be “Petrochemical Service Areas,” cleverly merging characteristics of Sinopec and service areas, leading drivers to mistakenly believe they are service areas of Sinopec; others insert lowercase regional identifiers between the words “China” and “Petrochemical,” blurring the line between real and fake.

Some operators are overly optimistic, believing that a “one-letter difference” can help them evade regulation, hoping to profit by riding on the coattails of established brands, while regulatory bodies have not conducted thorough inspections of such confusing operations, and insufficient regulatory strength has provided opportunities for fraudsters.

In this incident, the gas station claimed to “have a business license, and the name was approved,” which, if true, exposes a lack of stringent oversight from regulatory authorities. In response to such issues, regulatory agencies should take proactive measures, intensify inspections and penalties for counterfeiting in the market, and establish a regular supervision mechanism, ensuring that complaint and reporting channels are open, allowing for timely detection and legal dismantling of such “visual traps.”

For operators, it is also important to recognize that relying on “deceptive” branding will not lead to long-term business success. Instead of spending effort on designing “word games” and trickery, it is better to focus on improving service quality and product standards to build a brand reputation of their own.

Written by / Liushui (media person)

Edited by / Ma Xiaolong

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