Chinese firm loses trademark battle with Qualcomm

A Chinese court Tuesday rejected the case of a Chinese semiconductor company which accused U.S.-based Qualcomm Incorporated of infringing on its trademark rights.

The Higher People's Court of Shanghai defended Qualcomm's right to use the Chinese phrase "Gaotong" in its Chinese company name and product brand, saying the accusations of Shanghai-based Genitop lacked factual and legal bases.

The court turned down Genitop's demand for 100 million yuan (15 million U.S. dollars) in compensation from Qualcomm and its two Chinese subsidiaries and for a ban on the use of the phrase Gaotong.

The court ruled that Qualcomm's products and services, including mobile phone chips, which were accused of trademark infringement, are not similar to those using the name Gaotong produced by Genitop.

The Shanghai-based company lodged the lawsuit in April 2014.

According to the complaint submitted by the plaintiff, the Gaotong trademark in Chinese characters was registered in 1992, the year the semiconductor company was established.

The company complained that Qualcomm, which produces communication technology and semiconductors, used exactly the same Chinese characters for Gaotong as its trademark in advertising after entering the Chinese market.