(Photo/Liu Haiqin)

Bing Dwen Dwen, the cute panda mascot of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, has become insanely popular, but any form of unauthorized commercial use of the image is strictly prohibited.

The market supervision bureau of Tongzhou District in Nantong City has recently dealt with a case of suspected Olympic trademark infringement after receiving a report of a bakery store selling cakes in the shape of the mascot at 200 yuan each.

Sun Yun, secretary general of Purple Mountain Intellectual Property Lawyers Alliance, said the Beijing 2022 organizing committee enjoys the exclusive IP right, right to the registered trademark and design right of Bing Dwen Dwen, including the Chinese and English version of the mascot’s name.

No one is allowed to use the Olympic symbol for commercial purpose without the express authorization of the organizing committee, and the symbol is protected by the Copyright Law, the Trademark Law, the Patent Law, and the Regulations on the Protection of Olympic Symbols, said Sun.

Amid a shortage of the chubby Bing Dwen Dwen figurines, many people have shared their homemade replicas of the mascot. Sun said individuals can make their own creations inspired by the mascot for fun and this does not constitute infringement but profiting from these items is strictly banned.

The lawyer also said it’s fine for people to make the mascot-shaped cake at home, create a lantern in the shape of the panda for personal use, or for schools to introduce the mascot because these are not for commercial purposes.