[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government].
CHINA TRADE.
CONFIDENTIAL,
[12381]
No. 1.
17031
[April 10.]
SECTION 3.
19 MAY 08)
Sir,
Messrs. Ashton, Hoare, and Co. to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received April 10.)
36, Charlotte Street, Manchester, April 9, 1908. REFERRING to your letter addressed to us on the 17th December, 1907, re trade-marks in the Far East, you therein intimated that you had had only one case of a "pirated registered mark" brought to your notice, viz., Buchanan's whisky. If you have not seen the inclosed (Armitage's "Crocodile") it will be of interest to you. It is a glaring case.
The low level of commercial morality which permits such an imitation is, it can scarcely be doubted, initiating and permitting other imitations. The matter will grow from bad to worse, and will, we submit, become the more difficult to deal with.
We have reason to believe that the goods bearing this mark have been sold not only in Japan but also in China, where the chop is most valuable.
May we be allowed to express the hope that your negotiations with the Japanese Government, upon which you were actively engaged when you wrote to us, are progressing favourably, and that a Treaty is on the way to be concluded which will effectually preserve all English trade-mark rights as against the absolutely unscrupulous theft of those rights which too many Japanese traders have been and are at present practising without let or hindrance.
We are, &c. (For Ashton, Hoare, and Co., Limited),
(Signed) J. A. SWANWICK, Director.
P.S.-If convenient will you kindly return us the photographic sketch sent herewith.
[2918 k-3]
J. A. S.