Drivers are sticking CCTV logos on their cars to avoid tickets

Car stickers with the logo of China's national broadcaster CCTV have become hugely popular on Taobao after online reports said the stickers could help drivers avoid tickets. 

Stickers for sale on Taobao cost between 3 and 30 yuan ($0.5 – $5). One seller who spoke to the Beijing News said that the decals have long been popular with drivers. 

A review of the stickers posted online read in part: "Having the sticker on my car, I once ran a red light but was not fined. I just told the traffic police that I was a reporter with CCTV, and was in a hurry to get to an interview. Then the police let me go."

"CCTV actually doesn't have cars specially designed for news interviews. Most of the cars bearing CCTV logos on roads are not company cars from the TV station," said a journalist from CCTV. 

Use of the CCTV logo in this manner is a clear abuse of the company's trademark, but complaining that products for sale on Taobao infringe on trademarks is like complaining that the ocean is wet. 

The jig may be up for drivers however, as drivers who fraudulently display such stickers to avoid tickets may be fined up to 1,000 yuan ($165), according to Yi Shenghua, a Beijing-based lawyer.

[Image via Taobao]