Huawei hits a stumbling block in HarmonyOS roll-out after Chinese court rejects trademark appeal
- Huawei loses an appeal against a decision to deny its trademark application for HongmengOS
- The telecoms giant has planned to deploy the system, known outside China as HarmonyOS, on 400 million devices in 2021
After millions of dollars spent and almost a decade in development, Huawei Technologies Co may have to find a new Chinese name for its mobile device operating system less than a week before a showcase event.
On Wednesday, the Beijing Intellectual Property Court rejected Huawei’s lawsuit against the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) for rejecting its trademark application for HongmengOS, the Chinese name for its mobile operating system known globally as HarmonyOS.
Huawei applied in May 2019 to the CNIPA for the HongmengOS text trademark. However, the application was rejected over concerns that it could cause confusion among consumers, given that two other companies – a Beijing-based cosmetics firm and a Hebei-based software company – had already registered the trademark as early as 2010.
In its filings to the court, Huawei argued that the HongmengOS branding has the support of the country and enjoys “unshakeable popularity”. It also said that the name is closely associated with Huawei, while the registered trademarks owned by other companies are not only in disuse, but also look visually different.
The court did not accept the argument. It said that the evidence provided by Huawei was insufficient to prove that the company has established a unique connection with the Hongmeng name.
