On December 25, Tongrentang Group issued a statement indicating that the group attaches great importance to comprehensive verification and rectification work, and has recently launched a series of special actions.
In terms of strictly pursuing accountability and strengthening responsibility implementation, the group has comprehensively investigated the issues of dereliction of duty by the involved units and personnel. The investigation revealed that Tongrentang Group's authorization for the "Tongrentang" trade name and trademark to Sichuan Health had already expired on March 21, 2021, and was not renewed. Following the incident, while conducting an accountability investigation, Tongrentang Group and Health Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. established a working group led by senior group executives to fully take over the business management of Sichuan Health Company, ordered Li Shengyi to resign from his position as General Manager of Sichuan Health Company, and suspended all other relevant management personnel. Subsequently, based on the conclusions of government regulatory authorities and the internal investigation, those responsible for dereliction of duty will be dealt with severely.
Regarding fully cooperating with regulators and advancing the investigation and disposal, the Tongrentang Group working team stationed in Sichuan proactively engaged and actively cooperated with the case investigation conducted by the three-level joint investigation team from Sichuan Province, Chengdu City, and Xindu District, and has submitted supporting documents related to Sichuan Health's infringement activities. Tongrentang Group continues to promote the removal of Sichuan Health products from shelves, recall the involved products, issue declaration letters to major e-commerce platforms, conduct daily monitoring, and promote coordinated clean-up efforts to block the circulation channels of the involved products.
Furthermore, Tongrentang announced a formal product information inquiry system to guide consumers in identifying authentic "Tongrentang" products with the Double Dragon logo. It issued a serious reminder regarding product authenticity issues raised by consumers: authentic "Tongrentang" brand products clearly print the "Double Dragon logo," which also serves as the unified identifier for officially authorized stores. On December 23, the Tongrentang Group product inquiry system was launched on the official website, providing information inquiry services for over 1,000 products covering categories such as Chinese patent medicines and health foods, offering authoritative purchasing guidance.
Tongrentang Group has initiated a special action for strict brand management, conducting thorough inspections of brand usage by enterprises at all levels. As of December 24, cumulative inspections of subordinate units/stores have exceeded 520 times. Since the start of the special action for strict brand management, the group has inspected links to infringing products and stores on key e-commerce platforms, completing nearly 600 complaints regarding infringing products. It has filed complaints against over 120违规 stores misusing the Tongrentang name, such as "Tongrentang Genuine Direct Sales" and "Beijing Tongrentang Tonic Delicacies," resolutely cracking down on "borderline" uses of the "Tongrentang" trade name and non-standard trademark usage.
According to media reports, recently, the Shanghai Consumer Council commissioned the East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences to test and investigate 15 popular domestic and international Antarctic krill oil products on the market. The results found that a product labeled "Beijing Tongrentang 99% High Purity Antarctic Krill Oil" actually tested with a krill oil content of "0."
On December 20, Tongrentang Group had issued a statement saying that regarding the recent public attention on "Antarctic Krill Oil," Tongrentang Group attached great importance and was deeply distressed. It extended its most sincere apologies to consumers and all sectors of society for the rights infringements caused to consumers! Tongrentang Group immediately launched a zero-tolerance special action for strict brand management and had taken the following measures:
First, dispatch a special working group to Sichuan to conduct a comprehensive and in-depth verification of the involved products, determined to investigate thoroughly.
Second, order and supervise the involved distribution entity, Sichuan Health, to immediately remove the involved products from shelves and strictly compensate consumers according to law and regulations as required by regulatory authorities.
Third, pursue legal responsibility for trademark infringement and other liabilities against Sichuan Health, Habor Pharmaceutical, and related e-commerce platforms. Pursue legal action against their illegal use of the "Beijing Tongrentang" name, which misled consumer judgment and harmed consumer rights and interests.
Fourth, conduct accountability investigations into problems existing in the operation, management, and supervision links of Sichuan Health, its controlling shareholder Health Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and other units, and strictly hold relevant personnel accountable.
To further protect consumer rights and strengthen brand protection responsibilities, Tongrentang Group is simultaneously carrying out the following work:
First, comprehensively investigate illegal and违规 activities in brand usage, conducting thorough inspections of the brand usage situation of group enterprises at all levels.
Second, fully launch a brand clean-up campaign, resolutely cleaning up "borderline" uses of the "Tongrentang" trade name and non-standard trademark usage, and strictly standardizing the brand management system.
Third, comprehensively standardize the identification of authorized stores on e-commerce platforms, strictly use the "Tongrentang" Double Dragon pattern trademark, and proactively guide consumers to accurately identify formal purchasing channels.
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