If Apple and Huawei can’t agree to share the “Vision Pro” trademark in China, Apple may have to rebrand its next mixed-reality headset.
MyDrivers uncovered that on May 16, 2019, Huawei was awarded a trademark that would enable the business exclusive use of the mark in China from November 28, 2021, to November 27, 2031. Here are all the details that we know for now.
Apple is unaware that Huawei owns the Vision Pro trademark
Huawei makes extensive use of the trademark in China, where it sells a variety of Vision-branded devices like smart TVs and smart eyewear. Apple may have to negotiate with Huawei to buy back the Vision Pro trademark if the company plans to market its headset under that name in China.
Apple has stated that the Vision Pro headset will be released in the United States in the first quarter of 2024 and will be made accessible in “more countries” later that year. However, the trademark issue can delay the schedule.
That wouldn’t be the first time Apple has paid a Chinese firm to utilize one of its trademarks. To acquire the “iPad” trademark in China, Apple paid over $60 million to Proview Technologies in 2012. After losing multiple court fights arguing that it had already obtained the rights to the name through a transaction with Proview’s Taiwanese affiliate, Apple finally agreed to pay up.
