The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2026
Yujian Xiaomian sued a couple-run noodle shop for its name — then gave the trademark away
Listed noodle chain 遇见小面 sued a Henan couple-shop named 渝见小面 for ~¥8,000. The 'big brand vs small shop' backlash forced an apology and a free trademark.
Yujian Xiaomian (遇见小面)
What happened
In June 2026, listed noodle chain 遇见小面 (Yujian Xiaomian), acting through an outsourced law firm, sued a couple-run shop in Nanyang, Henan called 渝见小面 (Yujian Xiaomian) for trademark infringement. The lawyer said the couple could end it by paying a settlement of roughly ¥7,000–8,000.
The owner 毛女士 (Ms. Mao) told reporters: '我八块钱一碗的面，我至少得卖1000碗' — a bowl costs ¥8, so she would have to sell more than a thousand bowls. The contrast between a listed company's legal demand and a small shop's daily takings went viral as a big brand bullying an individual trader.
On June 13 遇见小面 said it had instructed a withdrawal and would review its enforcement process. On June 15 founder Song Qi published an open letter apologising, donating the registered class-35 '渝见小面' trademark to the couple free of charge, and ending cooperation with the outsourced law firm. Some members still cancelled even their small stored-value balances as a further show of displeasure.
Why it happened
- The sum was the story: demanding ~¥8,000 from a couple earning it bowl by bowl read as a giant crushing a small shop.
- No one priced the optics: a listed chain enforcing a defensive trademark against a two-person restaurant was never going to look fair.
- The apology was only as good as the gesture: donating the trademark and firing the law firm converted words into proof.
- Outsourcing litigation removed the judgement: the letter was sent in the brand's name, so the brand owned the backlash it caused.
The lesson
Enforcing a trademark is a public act. When the defendant is a couple-run shop and the claim looks predatory, the court of public opinion rules before the court does.
Sources
- 腾讯新闻 — '遇见小面起诉'渝见小面'商标侵权引争议，创始人致歉：律师已中止合作，商标无偿赠予', 2026-06-15
- 光明网 — '遇见小面创始人宋奇就商标风波致歉，决定无偿赠予已注册商标"渝见小面"', 2026-06-15
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