Apple has lost its exclusive rights to the “iPhone” trademark in China, Legal Daily reports. The Beijing Municipal High People’s Court ruled in favor of Xintong Tiandi Technology, which was granted a trademark on “iPhone” in 2010 to be used in connection to a line of leather goods the company sells. Apple filed applications to trademark “iPhone” for sales of electronic goods in 2002, but was only granted the trademark in 2013.
Apple sued in 2012 over Xintong Tiandi’s use of “iPhone” on its handbags, phone cases and other leather products, but the courts ruled that Apple couldn’t prove it was a well-known brand in China before Xintong Tiandi filed for its trademark in 2007. Apple’s iPhone first went on sale in China in 2009.
This court loss is the latest in a series of setbacks Apple has suffered in China. In February, Apple Pay launched in China, but Chinese banks negotiated their way to paying only half of what U.S.
banks pay to do business with the tech giant. Then last month the company was ordered by a Chinese government agency to shut down sales of iBook and iTunes Movies, just six months after the sales finally began. That prompted billionaire investor Carl Icahn to dump his position in Apple, citing concerns that China’s government could “come in and make it very difficult” for Apple to do business there.
