SHANGHAI: The legal wrangle between Danone and Wahaha has spread beyond the two companies to the nation's trademark authority.

Hangzhou Wahaha Foods Co, one of five joint ventures set up by the two firms, has sued the Beijing-based State Trademark Bureau over what it claims was "improper administrative behavior" in 1996 and 1997.

Hangzhou Wahaha Foods is 51 percent-owned by French food giant Danone Groupe SA, with the rest controlled by China's largest drinks producer Wahaha Group.