HEFEI, Oct. 17 (Xinhuanet)-- The words "happy birthday" can no longer be legally used if the words are pinned to any other products, since a private Chinese company registered it as its trademark this month in 25 countries including the United States, Japan and European Union members.

    The Fufeng toy plant in east China's Anhui Province, said it has more than 70 products with the brand "happy birthday," involving several industries including toys, dresses, shoes and hats.

    With increasingly fierce competition in the world toy market, the company realized the importance of branding. They were inspired to register the "well-known and pleasant phrase 'happy birthday,'" according to a company official who didn't give his name.

    Fufeng is a large scale toy manufacturer with more than 5 million US dollars' annual export volume. Enditem