A Shanghai Court has sanctioned four Chinese companies for producing espresso machines that closely resemble Slayer models in a major boost for Cimbali Group
Italy’s Cimbali Group has secured a major victory in its legal fight against counterfeit espresso machines in China. Judges in a Shanghai civil court ruled in favour of a lawsuit filed by Cimbali subsidiary Seattle Espresso Machine Corporation that four Chinese companies were producing and marketing coffee machines that closely resembled Slayer Espresso models.
The ruling by the Shanghai Court of First Instance recognised the design of the Slayer coffee machine as ‘influential’ under China’s Unfair Competition Law. Judges recognised that similarities between some design elements, including the distinctive X-shaped side supports, had caused consumer confusion between genuine Slayer Espresso coffee machines and models produced and marketed by the counterfeit Chinese companies.
The four unnamed Chinese companies were ordered to immediately cease producing and marketing machines with designs and packaging that could be confused with the Slayer brand. They were also ordered to pay damages and legal fees.
Cimbali Group described the ruling – the first legal recognition of a B2B product in China – as an “extremely rare” legal victory for a foreign company in China. “This outcome is therefore even more significant in terms of intellectual property protection in the Chinese market,” the company said in a press statement sent to World Coffee Portal.
“Although this is a first-instance ruling subject to appeal, the decision of the Shanghai Court is particularly significant given the complexity of the Chinese legal context,” Cimbali Group added.
Founded by Jason Prefontaine in Seattle, USA, in 2007, Slayer unveiled its first espresso machine at the SCA Conference in Atlanta in 2009. The distinctive machines quickly gained favour among specialty coffee professionals for their customisable design, paddle-style group heads and patented needle valve technology that enables greater flow precision.
Cimbali Group acquired a controlling stake in Slayer in 2017, which then had an annual turnover of $17m, as part of a strategy to strengthen its position in the speciality coffee market and boost its presence globally. The Gruppo Cimbali umbrella also includes the La Cimbali, Faema, Casadio, and Hemerson brands.
Slayer espresso machines have been officially available in the Chinese market since 2014, and are still primarily manufactured in Seattle, USA, today.
The US Chamber of Commerce estimates that China accounts for two-thirds of all global counterfeiting and intellectual property theft, with Industrial IP theft thought to cost US companies as much as a quarter of a trillion dollars annually.
In April 2025, the Chinese government reiterated its commitment to strengthening intellectual property, trademarks and infringement protections in the interest of China-US Economic and Trade Relations.
