Apple loses exclusive right to iPhone brand in China

Apple has lost a trademark dispute in China over the name ‘iPhone’ against a Chinese company specializing in leather products such as handbags and phone cases. The company, Xintong Tiandi, got the trademark ‘IPHONE’ for leather products in 2010.

Apple applied for the iPhone trademark for electronic products back in 2002, but it wasn’t approved until 2013. The coverage of the case started after Quartz came across an article on the Chinese site Legal Daily.

Apple filed the first case over the name with the Chinese trademark authority in 2012. Apple then took the case to a lower court in Beijing, which also did not agree with Apple.

The reason the court ruled that Xintong Tiandi was allowed to continue using the name was because Apple’s iPhone was not yet a well-known brand when the leather goods company applied for the name in 2007, especially since Apple’s first iPhones did not hit Chinese stores until 2009. layers.

Now the Supreme Court has also ruled against Apple for failing to demonstrate that iPhone was a well-known brand in China before Xintong Tiandi applied for the name. The leather goods manufacturer may only use the name under class 18: leather goods. Apple’s iPhone is in Class 9: Electrical and Scientific Devices.

Xintong Tiandi’s website now states that the company is happy that there is finally clarity and that the company is eager to work with Apple to make more “iphone” customers happy.