On Friday, November 7, 2025, Hearst Magazines filed a lawsuit against Trends Publishing House (TPH) to safeguard its intellectual property rights in China. We have now received confirmation that the case was accepted by the Shanghai Pudong District Court on Monday, November 10, 2025.
In November 2023, Hearst announced that it had terminated its license agreements for Cosmopolitan and Esquire in China and requested that TPH cease and desist from any further use of the “Cosmopolitan” and “Esquire” brands. As set forth in a May 2025 arbitration ruling in the Netherlands, TPH admitted that TPH was not a party to these license agreements. Nevertheless, to this day, TPH has not complied with Hearst’s cease-and-desist demand and continues to use the “Cosmopolitan” and “Esquire” brands in magazines and on social media.
Since entering China in 1997, Hearst has partnered with trusted local partners to contribute to the country’s fashion media landscape and foster cultural exchange. We remain committed to China, our partners, and to showcasing Chinese creativity to audiences worldwide. We welcome strengthened protection of intellectual property in China and trust the legal system to safeguard the rights of brand owners.
[Chinese Translation]
关于Cosmopolitan与Esquire中国版的最新进展
2025年11月7日（星期五），赫斯特杂志（Hearst Magazines）向《时尚》杂志社提起诉讼，以维护其在中国的知识产权。我们近日获知上海浦东新区人民法院已于2025年11月10日（星期一）正式受理此案。
2023年11月，赫斯特宣布终止Cosmopolitan和Esquire两个杂志品牌在中国的许可协议，并要求《时尚》杂志社立即停止使用Cosmopolitan和Esquire品牌。根据2025年5月荷兰仲裁庭的裁决，时尚杂志社已承认其并非前述许可协议的签约方。尽管如此，直至今日，时尚杂志社依然未按照要求停止相关侵权行为，并继续在杂志和社交媒体上使用Cosmopolitan和Esquire品牌。
自1997年进入中国以来，赫斯特始终与本地合作伙伴携手合作，共同推动中国时尚媒体行业发展，促进文化交流。我们始终致力于中国市场和本地合作伙伴，共同向全球受众展示中国创意力量。我们对于中国加强知识产权保护所做的努力深受鼓舞，并相信中国法律体系将切实保障品牌所有者的合法权益。