Shannon Lee at Wing Luke Museum
Shannon Lee is suing a popular Chinese fast food chain over its use of an image of her late father and martial arts star, Bruce Lee.
Bruce Lee Enterprises, a California-based company run by Shannon Lee, alleges that Real Kungfu has used the image in its logo without permission. She wants the chain to immediately cease usage of her father’s image and pay $30 million in compensation.
Real Kungfu said that it will fight the accusations. It argues that local authorities approved its use of the logo. The image depicts a dark-haired man in a martial arts pose.
“The Real Kungfu chain’s logo is one that the company had applied for and obtained after a rigorous screening by the national trademark agency. We have already been using this for 15 years,” the company said in a statement posted on China’s Weibo platform.
“We are baffled that after so many years, we are now being sued.”
The Guangzhou-based fast food chain was founded in 1990 and has around 600 outlets across China.