China has registered the names of hundreds of disputed islands and sea features as trademarks, as part of a programme it started in 2014 under the auspices of Sansha City. Sansha is an Administrative entity and military base with a population of around 1,400 people.  The trademarks seem intended for use in possible legal cases against other claimants, such as the Philippines and Vietnam. It’s unlikely they would make a real difference, but they could be used to shape disputed maps—a perennial Chinese obsession.