Last week the big hoopla was Apple’s Vision Pro headset, which is set to launch in “early 2024” starting in the U.S.
While we know Apple has registered the “Apple Vision Pro” trademark, a new MyDrivers report (via Huawei Central) says in China, the name “Vision Pro” belongs to Huawei.
According to details procured from the patent application, Huawei’s rights to the ‘Vision Pro’ trademark, bearing registration number 38242888, span from November 28, 2021, to November 27, 2031.
That’s according to Patently Apple, which was able to confirm the trademark in China. The site went online to China’s Mainland Patent and Trademark Office and discovered that Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd, based at the Bantian Huawei Headquarters Office Building, Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, indeed owns the ‘Vision Pro’ trademark.
Huawei lodged its trademark under International Class 9, covering a broad range of devices such as “Computer storage devices; Recorded computer programs; Computer keyboards; Electronic pens; Tablet computers; Computers Software; Mouse (computer peripheral equipment), and Integrated circuit card.” Notably, a detailed look at the application shows coverage for wearable tech like smart glasses and head-mounted VR devices, among others.
It is already a public fact that Huawei markets a product called “Huawei Eyewear” under the brand ‘Huawei Vision.’ The recent findings suggest that the ‘Vision Pro’ trademark may be used for an upcoming eyewear product.
The unfolding of these events is of particular interest as last week, Patently Apple published a report on a newly trademarked term, “Apple Vision Pro,” registered in Hong Kong and Europe. Given China’s importance as one of Apple’s largest markets, the introduction of a similar product by Huawei could pose a considerable challenge to Apple. The question of whether Apple would permit Huawei to sell products under similar branding to its own in China is debatable.
Apple has also recently filed for a mystery trademark, “Apple Reality,” in Europe and New Zealand. Coupled with rumours about a range of potential brand names based on shell company trademark filings, it seems Apple may be preparing a backup plan or possibly branching out.
Current circumstances suggest that unless Apple finds a legal solution, Huawei could prevent them from using the ‘Apple Vision Pro’ trademark in China. While speculations about Apple’s plans to rebrand its spatial computer, due for a 2024 release, or to challenge Huawei in court continue, it’s clear that Apple’s branding situation is tenuous.
The last piece of the puzzle is Huawei’s pending registration of the ‘Vision Pro’ trademark, which was filed in 2019. Given that Huawei already has an established eyewear product under the ‘Huawei Vision’ brand, it’s doubtful that Apple can halt the registration process, despite their ongoing dispute.
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Apple has to know “Vision Pro” is trademarked by Huawei already, so I am curious why they still go ahead with the name.
Apple does whatever it wants to do because it has an Army of lawyers, influence, money and can bully its way in. For example I own and use the Vision Pro trademark in Canada since Sept 2000, in the same category as some of apple's claims, yet I don't stand a chance because they will drain me dry in court before I will ever see a court decision. In Canada this country doesn't do much to protect Canadian businesses from foreign hostile intellectual property takeovers.