Alibaba plays trademark card to protect lead as China's $8 billion e-commerce spree nears

A trademark spat between Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and rival JD.com flared into public view after JD published an Alibaba letter urging publishers to be careful about advertising in promotions for China's annual "Singles' Day" spree, the world's largest online shopping day. In the letter, dated Oct. 16 and published on Thursday on a JD social media account, Alibaba's Tmall.com marketplace warned Chinese publishers against running ads with the "Double Eleven" motif that are not official Alibaba promotions. Tmall said in the letter that "Double Eleven" is a registered trademark. The letter highlights fierce competition among e-commerce firms in China over their marketing efforts around Nov. 11, a day that has proved an online shopping bonanza.

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