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How did Ne Zha"stir up a ruckus"overseas？

Release Time：

2025-02-19

　　China's animated blockbuster Ne Zha 2 was released in theaters across North America recently,bringing the"demon child"Ne Zha in-to the global spotlight with a stunning debut.At the same time,the film,di-rected by Jiaozi and produced over five years with the participation of more than 4,000 top Chinese anima-tors,has broke Chinese box office re-cords many times,making it the first film in China's film history to break the 10-billion-yuan mark.While the work itself has been widely praised for its emotional depth,the film's producers have also paid meticulous attention to intellectu-al property(IP)protection,making it a compelling lesson in IP protection for the film industry.

　　Trademark matrix:Deepening proactive protection

　　Beyond the screen,"Ne Zha"has engaged in a silent battle over trademark rights.Examining the trademark layout of the film's pro-ducers,their strategy extends be-yond the core categories of tradi-tional film production and distribu-tion to cover peripheral products such as toys,clothing,games,and books.This comprehensive trade-mark strategy has ensured all-around protection for elements re-lated to the film while laying a sol-id foundation for maximizing com-mercial value and facilitating diver-sified development.

　　According to China Trademark Network(sbj.cnipa.gov.cn),Beijing Enlight Pictures Co.,Ltd.,an affili-ated company of the film's producer Chengdu Enlight Animation Co.,Ltd.,filed 149 film-related trade-mark registration applications be-tween 2019 and 2023.Among these,146 trademarks have been ap-proved.Additionally,the company has filed numerous word and figura-tive trademark applications for char-acters such as Ao Bing,and Shen Gongbao,as well as key elements from the film,including the Chaos Pearl,and the Mountains and Riv-ers Scroll,most of which have been successfully registered.

　　"Films are a combination of cul-tural and commercial value.A suc-cessful film,not only has strong box-office appeal,but also holds significant commercial potential through merchandising and deriva-tive services,potentially develop-ing into a long-lasting brand,"said Zhao Hu,partner and lawyer at BZW Law Firm,in an interview with China Intellectual Property News.He emphasized that a well-received film's commercial value and influence do not end when the film leaves theaters;rather,the film's title,characters,and related elements contain huge potential commercial value.Thus,proactive trademark planning plays an essen-tial role in expanding the commer-cial footprint of a film.

　　Content creation:Rooted in local culture

　　Behind the record-breaking box office lies the tireless dedication of the film production team.

　　On February 10,the official docu-mentary of Ne Zha 2 was released,providing a comprehensive behind-the-scenes look at the animation team'

　　s pursuit of perfection.The film also incorporates a rich blend of traditional ethnic music,includ-ing authentic Dong ethnic moun-tain songs from Guizhou,as well as Pipa,Xiao,Sanxian,and Suona,greatly enhancing the film's audio-visual experience.

　　The success of Ne Zha 2 proves that traditional culture is an inex-haustible treasure trove.The key is how to use modern storytelling tech-niques and contemporary emotional touchpoints to activate its relevance in today's world."To keep an IP alive and vibrant,it must be able to resonate with modern audiences,both in daily life and emotions.At the same time,character design must be innovative and captivating,"said Zhu Yuqing,editor-in-chief of the China Film Investment and Fi-nancing Development Report and founder of Online Film Market.

　　In recent years,the industry has been exploring how to promote high-quality development in China's do-mestic film sector.According to Zhu,the key factors are content cre-ation that strongly connects with contemporary audiences,sufficient investment with strict budget control by production companies,and metic-ulous craftsmanship and strategic re-lease timing."Only by following in-dustry-driven logic in content cre-ation,investment,production,and distribution,while respecting cre-ative principles,can we truly pro-mote the high-quality development of the whole film industry,"conclud-ed Zhu.

　　Derivative development:Unlocking business opportunities

　　"Officially licensed merchandise is now available!"On February 7,the official Weibo account of Ne Zha 2 released a series of posters showcasing a variety of film-related merchandise with a diverse and ex-pansive range of products,including trading cards,picture books,plush toys,blind-box figurines,badges,and music skins.With the film's surging popularity,these official merchandise items are also experi-encing strong sales.

　　A long industrial chain is one of the greatest advantages of animated films,particularly in the derivative products sector.How can this gold-mine be fully tapped?Zhu Yuqing pointed out that unlike live-action films where actors'portraits and like-nesses do not belong to the film pro-ducers,image development of ani-mated film characters is typically owned by the production company.Through licensing and commercial-ization,they can generate substan-tial business returns.Derivative de-velopment requires long-term plan-ning and should be considered as early as the scriptwriting stage.Es-pecially character design should be visually striking,and the film's emo-tional appeal and aesthetics should be aligned with contemporary audi-ences."Of course,a film's success is the prerequisite for copyright com-mercialization,"said Zhu.

　　"Where does the lotus root pow-der used to recreate Ne Zha come from,Tianjin or Sich-uan?""Where is Ne Zha real-lyfrom?"The heated discussions triggered by the film also hint at sig-nificant business poten-tial."Films should be in-tegrated with tourism to create a cultural tourism effect,simi-lar to the success of the game Black Myth:Wukong,"sug-gested Song Lei,Head of the Development Research Department at China Animation Comic Game Group.He explained that scene-based consumption,such as film tourism,can help extend a film's copyright value over the long term."Imagining if Ne Zha 2 had re-al-world cultural landmarks,it would provide huge momentum for local tourism and cultural industries,"said Song.

　　(by Wang Guohao/Dou Xinying)

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