A new report from China suggests that Vision Pro could be launched in the country under a different name thanks to Huawei's successful trademark registration of the name back in 2019.
The same report suggests that the spatial computer will go on sale in the country either in April or May …
launch”>Vision Pro&# 8217; launching in the US only
Vision Pro is currently only available in the US, and as we mentioned earlier, this is not a trivial task for residents of other countries. order delivery.
- Zeiss accepts only prescriptions written by ophthalmologists in the USA. Zeiss ships to US addresses only.
- Some content, applications and features may not be available outside the US due to licensing restrictions.
- Vision Pro supports English only (USA) language and typing.
- Vision Pro only supports English for Siri and dictation.
- Apple Music and Apple TV app purchases require an Apple ID with the region set to US.
- App Store for VisionOS requires an Apple ID region listed as US.
- Apple support for Vision Pro is available in the US only.
But it is expected to roll out in other countries soon
Apple hasn't said when we can expect the headset to appear in other countries countries, although CEO Tim Cook replied: “Soon.” when asked when it would be available in China.
Analyst Ming-chi Kuo said he expects it to go on sale elsewhere ahead of WWDC in June. It is believed that Apple needs time to accumulate more inventory to meet launch demand in other markets. The company will also need to organize prescription lens inserts to comply with various regulations applicable in other countries and train Apple Store staff.
China by April or May, according to local report
IT Home quotes Wall Street News.
According to a Wall Street News report this afternoon, supply chain sources say the Apple Vision Pro will be released in China as early as April and “no later than May.” […]
Cook visited the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue in New York. When asked when Vision Pro will be launched in China, Cook replied: “Inot sure about the exact time, but it will be soon.”
The Chinese version may have to use a different name
The report notes that Huawei owns the Vision Pro trademark, which it registered back in 2019 for a number of products including VR headsets. For this reason, Apple may not be able to use the name there.
Huawei successfully applied for the Vision Pro trademark back on May 16, 2019. The exclusive right to a trademark is valid for up to 10 years, from November 28, 2021 to November 27, 2031.
The trademark belongs to International Classification 9 and covers various goods and services such as LCD TVs, virtual reality head units, radio equipment, etc., which means Apple is using the name “Vision Pro”. ; in China may be suspected of violating Huawei's trademarks.
9to5Mac’ Opinion
Although Huawei does own the trademark, there is no certainty that this will cause problems for Apple. As we noted last summer when the issue first came to light, there were a lot of Vision Pro trademarks in a number of countries.
Trademark database search reveals hundreds of applications to register Vision Pro. Some have been granted and are valid, some have been granted and have expired, others are still pending.
But even if we filter for successful Vision Pro trademark registrations that are still active currently, there are at least 58 of them. (“At least” because the database I used does not cover all countries.)
However, it is also true that Chinese courts have a history of favoring local companies , not local companies. foreign when it comes to trademark disputes. Back in 2016, there was a frankly ridiculous incident over the iPhone trademark. However, that hasn't stopped Apple from using the name there.
So while nothing can be ruled out, I think Apple is unlikely to be banned from using the Vision Pro name in China.
Photo: 9to5Mac
