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The
Beijing Municipal High People's Court said Xintong Tiandi can
continue to use the phrase "iPhone" on its leather goods,
according to the Legal Daily, the official newspaper of China's
Justice Ministry.
Apple declined to comment.
The U.S. tech supremo has repeatedly found itself tangled in
intellectual property disputes in China where the sheer number
of companies means trademarks are often taken by little-known
players.
Some enterprising firms are quick to snap up trademarks that are
known overseas but not registered locally, in the hope of a
pay-off down the line.
In 2002, Apple applied for the "iPhone" trademark for computer
hardware and software in China, but that was only approved in
2013.
Xintong Tiandi created its trademark for leather goods in 2007,
the first year Apple's iPhone went on sale. The U.S. firm has
been disputing the Chinese firm's intellectual property rights
since 2012.
The Beijing court dismissed Apple's appeal, saying the U.S. firm
could not prove the "iPhone" brand was well-known in China
before 2009, when it first started selling the handsets on the
mainland.
In 2012, Apple paid $60 million to end a protracted legal
dispute over the iPad trademark in China, which had hampered
some sales and delayed the introduction of a new iPad in the
country.
Apple has been facing tougher times in Greater China - its
second-largest market.
Last week, billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn said he had
sold his entire stake in the firm. He cited risks to the stock
because of the economic slowdown in the People's Republic and
worries about how the country could become more prohibitive in
doing business.
(Reporting by Paul Carsten; Additional reporting by Yimou Lee in
Hong Kong and Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Ryan Woo)
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