Huawei allegedly registered the patent for Vision Pro long before Apple

Among the controversies surrounding Apple's new launch, one in particular could prove tricky in the long run: the name. An unexpected dispute between Apple and Huawei over ownership of the Vision Pro brand could jeopardise the future of the new headset in the Asian market. According to a report by Repubblica, the Chinese telecoms company has already registered the Vision Pro name on 16 May 2019, meaning Apple cannot use it to market its augmented reality visor in China. Patent 38242888 from China's Intellectual Property Office grants Huawei exclusive use of the trademark for devices in the 9 series (product line that includes photo, movie and signalling devices and also includes wearable virtual reality devices and many others) and on Vision Pro the Shenzhen-based company would thus have exclusive rights for 10 years, until 27 November 2031. Huawei currently has two product lines with this name: the Vision Glass smart visor and Vision Smart Screen televisions. The name Vision Pro is not currently used, but may have been registered in anticipation of future models in the Vision Smart Screen series.

Conflicts of this kind are quite common in the world of technology. Just think of the most famous legal battle between the Apple Corporation, the record label of the Beatles, and the technology giant founded by Jobs. The company had agreed not to use the Apple name for music-related initiatives and products, but the iTunes boom made it difficult to maintain that intention, forcing Apple to pay a disproportionate sum, apparently close to $500 million. But what will be the fate of the Vision Pro on Chinese soil, and how much will Apple have to pay to use a name that so far seems to be the only real strength of an overall weak product?

Before the launch, many had bet on a different name for Apple's new Visor: Reality Pro, which is still registered by the company and could be used in China to sell the Visor without conflict. Or Tim Cook could start negotiations with Huawei to acquire the Vision Pro brand in China: Apple could then keep the original name without infringing any copyrights. In all likelihood, the latter option would take a long time, but time does not seem to be an issue, as the Vision Pro could not be sold in China until 2025. The third option would be that Apple decides not to market the Visor in the People's Republic, which is unlikely given the potential and size of the Chinese market.