Huawei hits a stumbling block in HarmonyOS roll-out after Chinese court rejects trademark appeal

  • Huawei loses an appeal against a decision to deny its trademark application for HongmengOS
  • The telecoms giant has planned to deploy the system, known outside China as HarmonyOS, on 400 million devices in 2021

Celia Chenin Shenzhen
Banners with the Huawei logo are seen outside the venue where the telecoms giant unveiled its new HarmonyOS operating system in Dongguan, China, on August 9, 2019. Photo: AFP

After millions of dollars spent and almost a decade in development, Huawei Technologies Co may have to find a new Chinese name for its mobile device operating system less than a week before a showcase event.

On Wednesday, the Beijing Intellectual Property Court rejected Huawei’s lawsuit against the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) for rejecting its trademark application for HongmengOS, the Chinese name for its mobile operating system known globally as HarmonyOS.

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