Apple has just lost a legal attempt to prevent Huawei from trademarking the name “MatePod.” The company sought to block this trademark in China but the CNIPA (Trademark Office of the China National Intellectual Property Administration) rejected the attempt.
According to an SCMP report, iPhone maker was seeking to prevent the MatePods trademark due to its similarity with its own branding trademarks. This includes product lines that use the term Pod such as iPod, EarPods, and AirPods. The Cupertino based company argued that the Chinese tech giant had “maliciously copied” its trademark, which could even have a negative impact on society.
However, this argument did not sway the CNIPA, which ruled in favor of Huawei. The trademark authority further added that there was “insufficient evidence” that proved Huawei’s applications to be copies. Notably, Huawei was also granted the MatePod trademark, although, Apple still has the right to file for additional appeals to CNIPA to go back on this decision. Unfortunately, Huawei declined to comment on the matter, while Apple has yet to respond to SCMP’s request for a comment.
The ruling from CNIPA did acknowledge the similarities between both firms in aspects like “functionalities, sales channels and target consumers.” However, “the spelling of the trademarks are different, and the differentiations in pronunciation and the overall appearance are distinct. Therefore, the trademarks of the two companies are not similar trademarks on similar products and the coexistence would not cause confusion among the consumers.”
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