People who pay attention to the field of electronic technology should be familiar with the word "TYPE-C". It is a new generation of connection interface that supports the USB standard. More and more electronic devices are supported. But recently, the "TYPE-C" data cables of some Taobao sellers (currently, some models of mobile phones of Huawei, Xiaomi, Meizu, LeTV, Google Nexus and other brands are using the TYPE-C interface) have been removed from the shelves because of this The standard term has been registered as a trademark by an enterprise in Dongguan. What the hell does this happen?
Take the Android mobile phone data cable as an example. The plug is relatively large and the rectangular socket is called Type-A. A common small interface with one side flat and one side curved is called micro USB. After 2015, some new mobile phones or electronic products are equipped with a small data cable interface, which is slightly smaller than micro USB. Simply put, Type-C is an interface standard.
After the electronic products with TYPE-C interface came out, many manufacturers began to produce such data cables. However, some Taobao stores recently received notices of removal from the shelves, because the products contained the word Type-C, suspected of trademark infringement, and the products were complained. shelf. Many people in the industry are surprised, Type-C is a common name in the industry, how can it become an exclusive registered trademark of a certain company?
The reporter found the registration information of the "Type-C" trademark on the website of the Trademark Office of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce. The trademark owner is Dongguan Dingyou Industrial Co., Ltd.
In April 2015, Dingyou preemptively registered Type-C in China. Five months later, the USB Association also applied for USB-C and USB Type-C at the same time. USB-C has been approved for registration, which means that USB-C C's products have to pay expensive certification fees, unless they live in a gray area.
Facing Dingyou’s complaint, the Taobao seller appealed to Taobao. After Taobao Xiaoer’s verification, the complaint and the measures to remove it from the shelves were lifted. Dingyou said that the company authorized TYPE-C to Chinese enterprises for a fee of 1 yuan. However, they hoped to draw the industry's attention to the control of related industries by foreign associations, so they chose to complain to well-known sellers on Taobao.
Behind a trademark registration farce, it reflects the right to speak of Chinese electronics companies in the development and formulation of international standards. To truly solve this problem, preemptive registration alone will definitely not work. Further improve research and development capabilities, increase awareness of intellectual property rights, To become a standard setter, I am afraid that enterprises and governments need to work together in many ways.