Is the ‘Umbrella Corporation’ Logo Oddly Similar to a Wuhan Biotech Lab’s?







Some concern arose over apparent connections between the video game "Resident Evil" and a new coronavirus outbreak.







































							False
['The fictional "Umbrella Corporation" from the game "Resident Evil" shares a logo with a biotech lab in Wuhan, Hubei Province in China, where a new coronavirus is believed to have originated.', 'In the video game series “Resident Evil,” a virus created by the pharmaceutical company “The Umbrella Corporation” turns many of the residents of Raccoon City into zombie-like creatures. While the events in this game were obviously fiction, some social media users pointed to a few strange coincidences in January 2020 as China and other countries responded to the real-world spread of a new coronavirus.', 'Social media posts claimed that the logo of a biotech lab in Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the January 2020 outbreak, was eerily similar to the logo of the Umbrella Corporation. Furthermore, these posts noted how “corona” was an anagram for “racoon,” the city at the center of “Resident Evil.”', '', 'This eerie coincidence wasn’t too eerie on second glance.', 'For starters, the picture on the left did not show the logo for a biotech company in Wuhan. As one can infer from its name (which can be fully seen on an uncropped version of this image), Shang Hai Ruilan Bao Hu San Biotech Limited is located in Shanghai, not Wuhan. These two Chinese cities are approximately 500 miles away from one another.', 'The company’s website (ruiblue.com) shows that the blue-and-white, umbrella-like logo is real, and that the company is located in Shanghai, China.', 'The claim that “Corona” is an anagram for “Raccoon” is also a curious one. As you’ll notice by re-reading the previous sentence, “Corona” has a single “C” while “Raccoon” has two “c’s.” While Merriam-Webster noted that “Racoon” is a valid, albeit less common, spelling for this dumpster-diving mammal, the city in the “Resident Evil” games is spelled “Raccoon City.”', '', 'In short, the logo for the Umbrella Corporation is similar to the logo of a biotech company in China. However, this company, which no longer appears to be in operation, was not located in Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the coronavirus outbreak in 2020, but in Shanghai, a city about 500 miles to the east.', 'Ashcraft, Brian. \xa0 “Chinese Resident Evil Fans Think This Biotech Company’s Logo Looks Familiar [Update].”\n\xa0 \xa0 Kotaku. \xa0 18 June 2019.', 'Rumors about antifa plotting violence have coincided with the month of July and Gettysburg before.', 'A complete story is rarely told in a headline.', 'Social media rumors that two memorials in New York were vandalized proved misleading.', 'In August 2019, a 23-year-old unarmed Black man died after an encounter with police officers in Aurora, Colorado.', 'A chaotic scene in St. Louis sparked outrage, memes, and confusion.', 'Socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested on sex abuse charges connected to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.', 'The white supremacist group made frequent use of the slogan more recently embraced by President Donald Trump, though they did not, as some claim, invent it.', "The question of past arrests often surfaces among people who want to rationalize police officers' actions when Black men are killed in custody.", 'You can claim anything if you remove the barrier of evidence.', 'Rumors about antifa plotting violence have coincided with the month of July and Gettysburg before.', '© 1995 - 2020 by Snopes Media Group Inc.', 'This material may not be reproduced without permission.', 'Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com']
Is the 'Umbrella Corporation' Logo Oddly Similar to a Wuhan Biotech Lab's?