Dispute over ‘i-Phone’ resolved by Apple in China
A company that owned "i-phone'' trademark has agreed to transfer it to Apple, according to the China's trademark office website. This has removed the risk of a legal obstacle for Apple's own popular product with the same name.
The company that owned the trademark in China is a producer of e-readers and other devices called Hanwang Technology. It applied for the trademark 'i-phone' in 2004 in China. The company had launched a mobile handset with the name, which is not on sale at present.
The trademark records which previously showed Hanwang as the applicant now shows Appple with a note saying the trademark has been transferred. There is no official statement from either Apple or Hanwang.
Even before China Unicom launched Apple 'i-Phone' previous year, a lawyer said Hanwang's trademark and handset makes it illegal for the phone to launch in the country.
In an earlier dispute Apple had to enter into an agreement with Linksys (acquired by CISCO), which owned a device called iPhone as well as the registered Trademark. Apple and Cisco released a public statement stating the two companies signed an agreement allowing them to use the "iPhone" trademark on their products throughout the world.
China Unicom said it's sales reached the 100 000 units mark for the famous Apple 'i-Phone'. Many people in China buy smart phones abroad as phones with wi-fi are not allowed to sell, these i-Phone are brought into the country informally and are widely sold in bazaars.
