Vision Pro may not be called Vision Pro when it launches in China – local report

A new report from China suggests that Vision Pro may launch in the country under a different name, thanks to Huawei successfully registering the name as a trademark back in 2019.

The same report suggests that the spatial computer will go on sale in the country in either April or May …

Vision Pro’s US-only launch

Currently, Vision Pro is only available in the US, and as we’ve mentioned previously, it’s not a trivial matter for those in other countries to get one shipped over.

• Zeiss only accepts vision prescriptions written by U.S. eye care professionals. Zeiss will only ship to U.S. addresses. 
• Some content, apps, and features might be unavailable outside of the United States due to licensing restrictions. 
• Vision Pro only supports English (U.S.) for 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 the United States.
• The App Store for visionOS requires an Apple ID with the region set to the United States. 
• Apple Support for Vision Pro is only available in the United States.

But expected to roll out to other countries soom

Apple hasn’t said when we can expect the headset to roll out to other countries, though CEO Tim Cook did answer “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’s believed that Apple needs time to allow more stock to build up to meet launch demand in other markets. The company will also need to make arrangements for prescription lens inserts under the different rules applicable in other countries, and to train Apple Store staff.

China by April or May, says local report

IT Home cites Wall Street News.

According to a report on Wall Street News at noon today, supply chain sources claim that 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 would be launched in China, Cook responded: “I’m not sure about the exact time, but it will be soon.”

Chinese version may have to use another name

The report notes that Huawei owns the trademark Vision Pro, which it registered back in 2019 for a range of products, but including VR headsets. For that reason, Apple may be unable to use the name there.

Huawei successfully applied for the trademark of Vision Pro as early as May 16, 2019. The exclusive right of the trademark is up to 10 years, from November 28, 2021 to November 27, 2031.

The trademark belongs to International Classification 9 and covers a variety of goods and services such as LCD TVs, head-mounted virtual reality devices, radio equipment, etc., which means that Apple’s use of the name “Vision Pro” in China may be suspected of infringing Huawei’s trademark rights.

9to5Mac’s Take

While it’s true that Huawei owns the trademark, it’s by no means certain that this will pose a problem for Apple. As we noted last summer, when the issue first came to light, there are a great many Vision Pro trademarks in a number of countries.

A trademark database search reveals hundreds of applications to register Vision Pro. Some have been granted and are current, some were granted and have since expired, others are still pending.

But even it we filter by successful Vision Pro trademark registrations which are still currently active, there are at least 58 of them. (“At least” because the database I used doesn’t cover all countries.) 

However, it is also true that Chinese courts have a track-record of favoring local companies over foreign ones when it comes to trademark disputes. There was a frankly ridiculous case back in 2016, over the iPhone trademark. This did not, however, stop Apple using the name there.

So while nothing can be ruled out, I think it unlikely Apple would be prevented from using the Vision Pro name in China.

Photo: 9to5Mac