Hong Kong free-to-air television channel TVB has confirmed that it sent a legal warning letter to an adult website, accusing it of trademark infringement.
In the undated letter, which was circulated widely online, TVB claimed that adult website myavsuper.com bore similarities to mytvsuper.com – the channel’s online streaming service for dramas and movies.
“Our company’s mytvsuper.com website offers many programmes suitable for all ages,” read the letter. “Your adult website uses ‘myavsuper’ as its domain name, with a difference of only one character. We strongly suspect that you aim to create confusion.”
The letter claimed that the mytvsuper.com domain was registered on October 13, 2015, whereas myavsuper.com was registered on January 17, 2017.
The letter added that the adult website used a similar logo design to that of mytvsuper.com, trademarked by TVB.
Obscene and Indecent Articles Ordinance
TVB also accused the adult website of violating the Obscene and Indecent Articles Ordinance by broadcasting pornography to minors.
“Your website publishes a large amount of obscene and indecent photographs and videos while copying the ‘mytvsuper’ brand,” read the letter. “This leads minors to click into [your website], believing it is mytvsuper.com.”
The letter demanded that the adult website cease using the domain name myavsuper.com, as well as the suspected infringing logo, before March 31.
TVB confirmed to various local media that it had indeed sent a warning to the website. It sparked amusement from some internet users.
“What can they do? Launch a DDoS [cyberattack] against the website?” asked localist celebrity Nakade Hitsujiko. “Should they place a ten-minute advertisement before every programme telling people not to view [myavsuper.com]?”
“This is nothing but free advertising for myavsuper,” wrote a commenter on the Facebook page of Apple Daily.
