Asda in China? That'll be Mr Liu in Shenzhen Sainsbury's also kept quiet when asked about third parties registering its trademark, but did say that it began registering its trademarkets in China several years ago to support growth plans. In the southern city of Shenzhen, a man named Liu Mingxi has the right to produce garments, shoes and belts under the "Asda" label until 2018. John Lewis and Waitrose are registered to the Li Can International Investment company while Dixons, together with its Chinese name Di Ke Xun, is owned by the Shenzhen Basicom Electronics company, which makes 10m mobile phones a year. Dixons declined to comment, while John Lewis said the business constantly keeps its trademark and brand protection strategies under review. Neither is fashion retailer TopShop immune. In July 2009, a man named Zhuo Hongxiang, who lives in a village in Fujian province, registered the Topshop trademark for selling stereo equipment, cameras, lenses and glassware. He owns the name until 2019. TopShop insisted the registration of its trademark for cameras was not an issue and that it owns its name in China for fashion purposes. Arcadia, the group that owns TopShop, works with its local attorneys internationally to ensure it has appropriate protection. Whether companies believe they have protected themselves or not, the spate of trademark registrations points to difficult times ahead for some. Some of that appears to be down to a lack of savvy among some UK companies; some of it to Chinese laws that allow greater leaway. In the US, Canada and the UK, the rights to a brand are determined on use and on whether there might be confusion if another company starts using the same name. China, however, follows the European system: whoever registers the brand first owns it, in whichever category it is registered. About 600,000 trademarks were filed in China last year, according to Thomson Reuters research. The Chinese system has already claimed some high-profile victims. Apple is stuck in a court case with Proview, a hardware company from Shenzhen, over the rights to its "iPad" brand. Already, iPads have been pulled off the shelves in some Chinese cities and analysts believe Apple will have to pay handsomely to settle the case. Proview has demanded $1.6bn (£990m). In the last few months, Hermes lost a bid to stop a small Chinese clothing manufacturer from making ties under its Chinese name, Ai Ma Shi. Hermes has been fighting the Chinese company, which registered its name in 1995, in court for years and has consistently lost out. Meanwhile, Chivas, the whisky brand, has been unable to stop another garment firm from selling clothing labelled with its Chivas Regal Scotch logo. "Too many companies were told not to bother registering their trademarks because China does not enforce its laws," said Dan Harris, a lawyer at Harris & Moure, an American firm specialising in China. Many others were told nothing at all. In fact, China strictly enforces trademarks, in favour of whomever has registered them first. And Chinese courts look dimly on Western companies who complain their brand has been registered by another party in "bad faith." Mr Harris said: "The cheapest and easiest thing to do [if your brand has been hijacked] is to set up in China under a new brand. When you call up the Chinese party, they think they have won the lottery. They ask for a million dollars. We never call up, because if it comes from an American law firm the price is two million. Last October, Karen Millen, the womenswear brand, said it had been in "complex negotiations" with a Chinese investor to buy out the rights to its name so that it could begin opening shops in Beijing and Shanghai. In the end, the company decided to pay out "tens of thousands" of pounds for its name. But, a tobacco company has also registered "Karen Millen" in a separate trademark category. There are as many as 40 categories under which brands can register their trademarks in China, and it can be expensive to buy up blanket rights. "Each trademark filing costs around £460," said Mr Harris. So if you are Pfizer you register your name across all 40 categories. Then you have to register Viagra across all 40, and then your logo across them all and it begins to add up. Theo Fennell, the jewellers, is another brand which shares its name with a Chinese company. The Guangzhou Gaozhuo Business & Trade Co has registered "Theo Fennell" for making clothes and children's wear. And while Theo Fennell is aware of the infringement, it has decided to swallow the situation. A source said that no legal action has been taken because sales are not affected. The Guangzhou company - which said it had no idea Theo Fennell was a UK brand - sells children's clothes as opposed to luxury jewellery. Thomas Pink, the shirt makers, has had the same issue and said it had "opposed such a registration." Nor are companies the only victims. The Chinese and English names of ITV's The X Factor and BBC's Strictly Come Dancing are owned by Chinese individuals, as is the generic name "Savile Row." In Guangzhou, someone owns the rights to "Justin Bieber" while a Shanghai company owns the rights to "Angry Birds." A spokesman for the BBC said it was not aware of the Strictly registation. In that, the organisation will be far from alone.