TM Blog
Apple Can't Block Alternate iPhone Registration in China
Chinese case manufacturer Xintong Tiandi was able to maintain its registration of the IPHONE mark in class 18, a registration that Apple appealed. Chinese trademark law does include a Famous Mark provision. However, the Beijing Municipal High People's Court found that when Xintong Tiandi registered the MARK in 2007, iPhone was not yet a famous mark and so was only protected in Class 009 where it was originally registered.