WIPS global: [International IP Briefing] JP, CN

12.15.2021

[International IP Briefing] JP, CN

Japanese audio equipment manufacturer ZOOM files a lawsuit against U.S. Zoom for prohibition of trademark infringement

On November 30, 2021, Japanese audio equipment manufacturer ZOOM filed a lawsuit against Zoom Video Communications (ZVC), an American video conference service provider, demanding a ban on trademark infringement in the Tokyo district court.

Japan's ZOOM claimed that the US corporation ZVC used the very similar mark to Japan ZOOM’s registered trademark in providing the meeting program for the use of the video conferencing service to customers.1)

Japan's Zoom has filed a lawsuit against NEC Networks & System Integration Corporation in September 2021, claiming to ban acts that infringe on their trademark rights.

Prior to this lawsuit, NEC NetSI was sued as a defendant, but besides that the company is the first Japanese agency of ZVC, it’s not confirmed that NEC NetSI itself is providing video conference services, and also the actual business is unclear, so considering the two facts, the lawsuit was filed against ZVC, a U.S. corporation.

In this lawsuit, The compensation for damages is not claimed in this lawsuit. This is not to express that there is no monetary loss to Japan ZOOM, but to confirm that their registered trademark is an intellectual property that should be legally protected. They stated that they would not respond to an agreement.

Regarding the use of similar trademarks, there is a case in 2008 between Japan's AIPHONE (アイホン), an intercom giant, and Apple in the United States. Apple of the United States is using it with permission for the use of trademark rights of the Japanese AIPHONE.

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1) For the related official press release, please refer to the following link: https://data.swcms.net/file/zoom/ja/news/auto_20211129442689/pdfFile.pdf

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China IPRdaily Announces Top 100 Companies with Global Autonomous Driving Patents

On Nov. 1, 2021, China's intellectual property media 'IPRdaily' announced the TOP 100 ranking of global autonomous driving patent holders published after 2020.

IPRdaily derives company rankings by counting global autonomous driving patents published from January 2020 to mid-October 2021.

clipartkorea.co.kr

As a result, Toyota ranked first with 3,012 patents.

Chinese companies entered within the top 10, Baidu (百度) in 2^nd with 2,336 patents, Tencent (腾讯) in 6^th with 1,482 patents, and Sensetime in 10th with 1,115 patents. In addition, Huawei (华为) ranked 14th with 978 patents, and Alibaba (阿里巴巴) ranked 33^rd with 470 patents.

Among Korean companies, LG ranked 8th (1,306 patents), Hyundai Motors ranked 9th (1,228 patents), and Kia Motors ranked 10th (1,115 patents).