General / Off-Topic Apple looses trademark case in China.

Surfinjo · May 4, 2016

Seems Apple cannot claim exclusive rights to the name IPHONE in China because another Chinese company was using the name before Apple began to sell iPhones there.

China is a big market by any standards.

Apple has lost a trademark fight in China, meaning a firm which sells handbags and other leather goods can continue to use the name "IPHONE".
The Beijing Municipal High People's Court ruled in favour of Xintong Tiandi Technology, said the official Legal Daily newspaper.
Xintong Tiandi trademarked "IPHONE" for leather products in China in 2010.
Apple filed a trademark bid for the name for electronic goods in 2002, but it was not approved until 2013.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-36200481

hairychris · May 4, 2016

Well, to be honest, China has a somewhat sketchy record of enforcing foreign-held copyrights so can't say that this is too surprising!

Tinman · May 4, 2016

As long as people have the capacity to see the difference between a "iPhone handbag" and an "iPhone smartphone" I think we're good.

Siobhan · May 4, 2016

hairychris said:
Well, to be honest, China has a somewhat sketchy record of enforcing foreign-held copyrights so can't say that this is too surprising!

No worse than the USA or UK tbh.
Plenty of very old family businesses forced to change their name when some American Megacorp decides it wants their name and the courts go all googly-eyed for the corporate money.

Corruption is international, not just in places you don't like.

Surfinjo · May 4, 2016

hairychris said:
Well, to be honest, China has a somewhat sketchy record of enforcing foreign-held copyrights so can't say that this is too surprising!

The point is, when this IPHONE company was established, Apple hadn't registered it's own copyright.

Though at the risk of sounding as old as I am, I have to point out that Apple purloined its name from another, well known and established electronics and music company. Then spent 25 years using lawyers to block any attempt to get it back, making loads of promises in the mean time to limit what they used the name for then breaking those and using lawyers to frustrate any action on that as well.

Just saying.

Siobhan · May 4, 2016

Surfinjo said:
The point is, when this IPHONE company was established, Apple hadn't registered it's own copyright.

Though at the risk of sounding as old as I am, I have to point out that Apple purloined its name from another, well known and established electronics and music company. Then spent 25 years using lawyers to block any attempt to get it back, making loads of promises in the mean time to limit what they used the name for then breaking those and using lawyers to frustrate any action on that as well.

Just saying.

True, they had signed a contract to never sell music under that name, if I recall.

Patrick_68000 · May 4, 2016

They could join to make iPHONE handbags, to transport the iPHONE

Surfinjo · May 4, 2016

Siobhan said:
True, they had signed a contract to never sell music under that name, if I recall.

Bit more complicated than that. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Corps#Legal_battles

But academic really. It seems many modern companies spend so much time arguing their cases in court.

I really don't know what will happen here or what the outcome will be. I suppose Apple could try to buy out the Chinese company.

In any case, it's another interesting episode in the saga.

What galls me about Apple is they are the only realistic alternative to M$ and the run themselves like some sort of techno religion.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#Brand_loyalty

Given the importance of computers to the modern world, it's kinda scary that they are essentially controlled by one company that can't stop fiddling with its product and another that has messianic delusions.

We're doomed I tells ya. DOOMED! [yesnod]